Poured Out and Overflowing
Mentor Carissa Padilla shares her experience, carrying on a family legacy of service
By Leila Grant
As a child, Carissa Padilla loved to spend time with her family, even if it meant watching the news.
“It might have been a little weird for a five-year-old girl to be watching CNN and Fox News daily,” she said. “But that is something I have always been passionate about.”
Among Padilla’s other passions was a respect for the military. Many of her family members served, including her uncle and both of her grandfathers. Although Padilla was not sure the military was the right place for her, she desired to continue the legacy her family members had started.
In her freshman year of high school, the unexpected happened—her father passed away. Padilla felt doubtful that she would graduate high school, but she was able to rise above this obstacle by drawing on Christ’s strength.
Carissa Padilla
Marketing, Supply Chain Management
Waco, Texas
“I definitely would not be sitting here today without the Lord carrying me through certain situations in my life,” Padilla said.
With her family’s support, Padilla pushed forward and turned loss into motivation.
She decided to further her education at Baylor University, her mother’s alma mater. Looking for community, she joined Women in Business at Baylor (WIB). She was not yet sure which direction to go with her education, but she knew she wanted to honor Jesus and her family in her career.
Initially majoring in Economics, Padilla switched to Marketing shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Her eyes were opened to the importance of the supply chain as the country struggled with the lack of available testing and the people around her took drastic measures to obtain necessities. With an open heart and her family roots in mind, Padilla decided to add Supply Chain Management as a double major to fulfill her need to serve others.
“Although I will not be actively serving in the military like my family, I would love to serve people in some capacity,” she said. “I feel that through supply chain I have a real opportunity to do so.”
Padilla strives to use her servant heart and capacity to lead in every life season. During her freshman year at Baylor, she worked as a reading tutor and mentor for more than 75 children through Communities in Schools of Central Texas. As a current student ambassador for the Hankamer School of Business, she walks families through the academic programs offered and provides insight into the business student experience. Additionally, Padilla invests in her fellow WIB members through participating in their mentorship program.
“Currently, I have four mentees,” Padilla said. “I have had the privilege to pour into them and teach them what I have learned over the past two years, but really, they have taught me so much.”
Padilla has grown through the symbiotic relationship she has with her mentees as well as her experience being the WIB president. Her ability to lead could be attributed to years of guiding others, but she credits the drive to make her family proud as motivation.
“I have had the honor and privilege to go to Baylor and carry on my dad’s legacy by having the Padilla name right beside ‘president of WIB,'” she said.
Padilla is thankful for the opportunities she has had at Baylor, which she attributes to the sacrifices her parents made for her.
“I think back to both of my parents and the amount of things they gave up in order for me to have the life I have,” she said. “I am thankful for the privileges I have today because of their dedication.”
Baylor Business Review, Fall 2022