Today, we're happy to present to you the first in our Member Spotlight series. This series is intended to shine a light on the personal and professional accomplishments of our talented and diverse members.

We're diving right on in with Alejandro Yu, a University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) graduate, who is currently working as TFCU's Marketing & PR Manager.

1. Tell us about yourself.

I was born in El Paso but raised in both Ciudad Juarez and El Paso. I am 31 years old. I graduated with a Bachelor’s in Marketing and in International Business from UTEP in 2008. I then went on to graduate school where I completed both a Master’s in Business Administration and a Master’s in Public Administration from UTEP in 2011. I have been working in Marketing and Advertising in the credit union industry for more than nine years. I worked as a Marketing and Advertising Coordinator at FirstLight Federal Credit Union from 2009 to 2016. In 2016, I joined TFCU where I am currently working as the Marketing and PR Manager. I serve as a Board Member for the El Paso Chapter of Credit Unions, and was the President of the El Paso Credit Union Young Professionals in 2016 and 2017. I am currently an advisor for the Credit Union Young Professionals group and was selected last year to serve a two-year term in the state advisory board.

I had a wine bar/restaurant from 2010 to 2013, so if you ever need any wine classes or recommendations, I’m your guy! I love travelling and lived in Sweden in 2007. I am a big fan of movies, TV shows, and non-fiction books. I’m a big time political junkie. I am also huge sports fan - Go Broncos, Spurs, and Manchester United! I get told every day that I look like Marc Anthony and have been confused by him many times by his fans. Finally, I am colorblind, so if you ever see me wearing any colors that don’t match, know you know why! Ha!

2. What's your favorite thing about the El Paso community?

I love the El Paso community! El Paso has given me a lot of opportunities to grow and achieve my goals. I come from humble beginnings, and El Paso gave me the chance to really showcase my potential. We are a community that has a lot of changes happening, yet still value tradition! I hear a lot of people that leave El Paso give it a bad rap because they feel there is no growth here. I don’t agree with that, and I feel that I am an example of what you can accomplish when you take advantage of the opportunities that this great city, and region, have to offer!

3. What personal or professional accomplishment are you most proud of?

I guess I would say there are a lot of accomplishments that are a mixture of personal and professional of which I am proud of. I am very proud that I was able to graduate as the valedictorian for my high school – Thomas Jefferson High School (Go Foxes!!). I am proud that I was able to get two bachelor’s degrees from UTEP and paid for it by only using scholarships. I am also very proud that I was able to finish grad school by the age of 25, which was my goal. It was tough to do, but I am very proud of myself for completing two Master’s degrees, while I worked full-time during the day, and also ran my wine bar/restaurant at night! Looking back, I am very grateful and blessed for the accomplishments and for all of the people that supported me and made me the person I am – my family! Without them I would not have been able to do anything that I mentioned above, so I owe it all to them!

4. What's the best leadership advice you've ever received?

The best advice I have received has been:

“There are two things that define you: Your patience when you have nothing, and your attitude when you have everything.”

I think a good leader is one that appreciates what they have in their team, their community, their family, their faith, and is humble enough to recognize how integral those pieces are to their success.

5. Why did you decide to become a member of the Young Leaders Society?

I want to give back to El Paso and be able to have the opportunity to help others the way I was and am still being helped to reach my goals. It is really inspiring to see a group of young local leaders working together to spark change in our region, and I want to be part of that movement. I can see that the Young Leaders Society is a major catalyst in the change that is happening here and it is very exciting.

We are really the future of this city, and it is up to us to take the opportunity and make it happen!