Gladys Acosta

Authored November 16, 2022

I typically wake up around 7 am (unless I wake up earlier for a very special coffee chat) and help my kids get ready for school. I make my bed, then make myself breakfast: chia seeds in almond milk with some peanut butter, ground cinnamon, ground seeds (either flax or sesame), and lots of berries – raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, whatever I have on hand. I have the same exact thing every day. 

My day starts at 8 am and the first order of business is choosing my blazer for the day. In person, I wore a suit almost every day. Now that I am remote and have switched out my suit bottoms for leggings, I still wear my suit jackets and keep them in the closet next to my desk for easy access. Next, I take stock of what meetings I have scheduled for the day. With that, I prioritize my workflow for items that must be completed before my scheduled meetings and get to work.  

My role involves managing construction loans throughout the life of the loan, so I could be working on loans still in origination or projects actively building and drawing on the loan. Construction is fulfilling because there’s a physical manifestation of all your hard work – a tangible, finished product that you can experience with all of your senses. What’s even more meaningful at NFF is the fact that these buildings house nonprofits that enrich the communities we serve.  

I try to have lunch at 12 pm every day and make myself a good lunch, catch up on the news, and play a round or two of a video game with my friends if I have time. Right now, I’m really into a PC game called Phasmophobia – it’s a horror game where you hunt ghosts and try to figure out what kind of ghost is haunting a place by gathering evidence. You use deductive reasoning to figure out what type of ghost you’re dealing with then leave. No ghosts are harmed in the game, so it’s more like a puzzle game with a spooky element to it. 

The flow of my day is pretty standard – juggling meetings, work, emails, and putting out fires until it’s time to hang up my blazer. 

What I’m doing after 5 pm depends on what day it is! I’m currently in school full-time to finish my bachelor's degree in economics at California State University Sacramento, and almost all classes are in-person. The campus is GORGEOUS and very green, so walking to class feels like walking through a park. 

If it’s a Tuesday or Wednesday, my whole day looks a bit different – I have class in the evening, so I’m likely on campus by 5 pm and don’t get home until 10 or 11 pm. I live a little over an hour away from my school, so I use that drive time to catch up on my favorite podcasts. Right now, my favorite podcast is Brown Ambition – it’s a business/finance podcast that talks about career, personal finance, and business for women of color. I also LOVE spooky or history-related podcasts, especially if it’s both combined. One favorite was the series about the Donner Party by Last Podcast on The Left. 

Although it’s challenging and the days are long, I’m incredibly thankful for the support and flexibility that my manager and NFF provide so I can work and go to school.  

If it’s not a school day, I typically make dinner and hang out with my family. And if the weather’s nice, we’ll go to the park or play Roblox together. My husband and I work out together in our home gym at least three times a week, spotting heavy weights for each other and making sure we don’t throw out our backs with horrible form. Once the kids are in bed, I join our group Discord server and see what games my friends are playing so I can join in or just hang out if I’m working on something, like homework or a construction draw. Then, I go to bed and do it all again the next day.