Daniel Carlson | 3 Minute Read

Mayola Leal was born and raised in Mexico and considers herself a “citizen of the world.” When it comes to making a place feel like home, “my family are truly my roots,” she said.

However, she was still uncertain about the future when she moved to the United States, nearly 10 years ago. Mayola said she remembers feeling lonely and out of place when she first arrived. All that changed, though, when she began working for Santander.

“There was a group of wonderful ladies that were so kind to me,” said Mayola, now a Senior Associate of Business Control and Risk Management. “They embraced my heritage. They embraced my accent.” She added that her new coworkers wanted her to feel a part of “not the company, but a community.”

Fast forward a few years and Mayola was selected to become a “Young Leader,” a global development program aimed at raising up the next generation of Santander leaders. Not only did she complete this highly competitive program (180 participants worldwide), but she was also ranked within the top 15 of all global participants, earning her the Outstanding Leadership award during the closing ceremony at global headquarters in Madrid.