A Novel Approach to Career Choice

With a father who was a neurosurgeon and a mother who was a chemist, it would seem only natural for Dr. Guillermina Gonzalez to pursue a career in the sciences. And she did give it a try, studying chemistry in her native Mexico. 

“But it was not my cup of tea,” says Dr. Gonzalez, chair of the Doctor of Business Administration Program for the University’s College of Business. “I didn’t see myself working in a lab.”

Although her parents were dedicated to careers in medicine and chemistry, they also appreciated the arts. “I always remember going to museums and exhibitions, and my mom and dad made it part of a fun day,” Dr. Gonzalez told Delaware Today magazine in 2013.

As a result, she was something of a Renaissance woman and considered several careers. “Everything got my interest,” she said. She took a skill assessment test, and was told, she says, “You’re so good you can do anything you want.”

“What kind of advice is that?” Dr. Gonzalez says. “It was very confusing, and it’s not true — no one is good at everything. And so it was actually painful for me to make a decision.”

Eventually, she decided that a business career might encompass her many interests, so she earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and an MBA in Mexico. She began her career while still in school and worked in marketing and sales for multinational corporations like ExxonMobil, Mars, Tetra Pak, and Olivetti.

Dr. Gonzalez came to the United States in 2001 while on assignment for ExxonMobil. After three years, she was to return to Mexico City, but she met and married Charles Gonzalez, a Ph.D. chemist who worked for DuPont at its plant in Parkersburg, West Virginia. He was soon transferred to the DuPont Experimental Station, and the couple moved to Pike Creek in the Wilmington suburbs.

Once settled in Delaware, Dr. Gonzalez left the business world and embarked on multiple careers that confirmed her renaissance bona fides: educator, leader of nonprofits, radio host, and, briefly, political candidate. Recently, she added another vocation: novelist. 

Her first endeavor in the Wilmington area was a marketing agency that, among other things, conducted focus groups for those interested in tapping into the Hispanic community. She then served as executive director of two advocacy organizations: Voices Without Borders, a faith-based nonprofit founded in 2000 and based in Wilmington, and later, the Delaware Arts Alliance.

She found time to complete a second master’s in Liberal Studies from the University of Delaware in 2009, then almost immediately pursued a DBA from WilmU, which she completed in 2013. Two years later, she joined the University as an adjunct and then a full-time professor. She has served on more than 20 boards.

Ever the community activist, in 2018, she made a brief foray into politics, running as a Democrat for state representative of District 22 ­— the Pike Creek area. She lost a close race to the Republican incumbent.

It was her work in radio that spawned her novel. She had served as host for “Delaware State of the Arts” (1450 WILM News Radio/1410 WDOV) and “Latinisimo” (91.3 WVUD), the only program in Spanish from the University of Delaware. She also co-hosted “The Latin Beat” (1150 WDEL) for eight years. 

Her radio gigs put her in touch with leaders inside and outside the Latin community, many of them from nonprofits. And that, in turn, led to her novel, “Alexa Hope and the Avenue of Possibilities, A Tale of Teenage Career Choices,” which was published last year. 

Dr. Gonzalez says she started the 248-page paperback during the pandemic. Initially, she envisioned it as a qualitative research project based on the nearly 300 half-hour radio interviews she had conducted. Through a series of questions submitted to interviewees, she hoped to find the motivation for their career choices. 

She began working with a publisher, and one of her editors quickly convinced her to change course. “She asked me what I would like to achieve with the book,” says Dr. Gonzalez, “and I said I’d like to have some impact on individuals struggling to find role models and their path in life. That’s because I struggled a lot with that in my life. 

“The editor told me that no youngster reads qualitative research and suggested I turn it into a novel.”

So, she did, creating Alexa Hope, a 17-year-old Latin immigrant who, according to the book’s introduction, “is standing at the threshold of a world full of endless possibilities and daunting obstacles.” She faces socio-economic disadvantages and discrimination. Some of the latter come from her school counselor, who tries to discourage her from pursuing challenging careers or elite colleges. 

Fortunately, Alexa meets Ella Torres, the host of “Latinisimo.” Ella hires Alexa as her assistant, giving the teenager an opportunity to embark on a journey of self-discovery. Together, they conduct a series of interviews with women who are leaders in education, the arts, and the nonprofit community. The book features 11 interviews with real women from the Wilmington area, all of whom Dr. Gonzalez met during her decade of radio work. 

“Each one has a lot to say and can serve as a role model for youngsters looking for a career path,” says Dr. Gonzalez. “That was the inspiration for the book.”

Among the novel’s interviewees is Sharon Baker, president of TELEDUCTION/Hearts and Minds Film, an award-winning Delaware-based company that produces video programs and presentations for nonprofits and businesses.

Calling Dr. Gonzalez “smart and enthusiastic, a giving person who is genuinely interested in the community,” Baker says the book can serve as “a North Star” for young people to follow. “It’s very important to mentor and inspire them, especially in these divisive times.”

The first person interviewed in the book is Lisa Bartoli, long-time executive director of Art Therapy Express, a nonprofit providing therapeutic arts programming throughout Delaware. 

“I thought it was wonderful the way Guillermina put the book together,” Bartoli says. “I love it when people use their hearts to make a difference in the world.”

Dr. Gonzalez says that while feedback on the book has been “very positive,” she isn’t concerned about sales. “This is not about the money,” she says. “If I can have two or three youngsters tell me their lives improved because they were able to read it and get inspiration out of it, that’s what I’m hoping for.”

She wishes she could dedicate more time to promoting the book, but her responsibilities at WilmU, especially her efforts to support students working on dissertations, fill her days. Her decade as a faculty member has been a tremendous experience. 

“Education is one of those professions that bring a lot of joy by virtue of the connections with students,” she says. “And this is one of the most nurturing environments I’ve found, and I’ve worked for many multinationals. I have excellent colleagues — fantastic people to work with. I feel taken care of.”

This was especially true when her husband passed away in March of last year. “My colleagues really took care of me,” she says. “I feel very lucky.”

Visit the book listing on Amazon for a copy of “Alexa Hope and the Avenue of Possibilities, A Tale of Teenage Career Choices.”