camila bernal

 As a young girl, Camila was always very creative, artistic, and dynamic with a passion for art.  She knew that when she grew up, she wanted to be a designer.  As soon as she finished high school, she started pursuing her bachelor’s in graphic design and absolutely loved it.  As soon as she graduated, she jumped on a plan and traveled from one side of the planet to the other (Colombia to Australia) to follow her dreams.  Initially, the goal of her trip was to learn English, but she also knew that she didn’t want to live in Colombia for the rest of her life and wanted to travel all around the world. 

After spending a year in Australia learning English, she decided she wanted to stay.  She studied Marketing and Communications for three and a half years and while doing so an opportunity to get into the trades presented itself.  A friend of hers was working as a caulker and asked her if she wanted to learn; Camila’s response “Absolutely, why not?”  She’s now been at it for six and a half years and six months ago she started her own company.  She says that it has been an incredible experience and not only has she found amazing success, but she absolutely loves what she does and is killing it! 

When asked if she has ever felt out of place in the industry because she is a woman, Camila says that in her case being a female in a male dominant industry wasn’t the only challenge that she faced.  Being a foreigner who didn’t speak the language made it even more difficult.  There were a lot of times when she feared not understanding exactly what she needed to do. The language barrier, being female, being young (22 years old at that time) and not having any experience in the industry may seem like a recipe for disaster to most, but Camila faced those challenges and shattered through every glass ceiling that she encountered.  She says that now she feels that being a female in the industry is an advantage.  Women tend to have a great work ethic, dedication, commitment, and a high level of attention to detail.  In her case, having a background as a professional graphic designer has helped differentiate herself from the rest.  She is great at what she does, and her name is now known in the industry. 

Camila says that if she could go back and give her 18-year-old self some advice, there isn’t much that she would tell her to change.  She feels that she has always followed her dreams and did what made her happy.  She studied a degree that she loved and was passionate about and then she was the bravest girl on earth being able to leave her comfort zone and travel across the world by herself.  She had always dreamt of traveling to Australia and knew that it would be the most amazing experience of her life and it ended up being exactly that!  So much so that she decided to make it her home.  She says that if she had to do it all over again, she wouldn’t change a thing!