The Construction Queen

Valeria Serenil is not afraid to get her hands dirty.  

Serenil is a highly involved student in the No. 1 ranked Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship and a co-owner of Aztec Contractors, but her grit in business didn’t come by chance.  

During her childhood, the entrepreneurship and finance senior spent many days surrounded by construction. Serenil’s father ran a general contracting and roofing business while also working a corporate job. On weekends, Valeria would often tag along to his job sites, which sparked her passion for construction. 

“It made me love the aspect of working with homeowners and helping them, either by repairing an issue with their roof or by designing their dream home,” Serenil said. “That experience growing up around construction is what really brought me closer to the business. It's one of those industries that will never go away.” 

Despite construction traditionally being a male-dominated field, Serenil didn’t let that stop her from achieving her goals. Her dedication to overcoming workplace adversity is something she said her family instilled in her. 

“My grandfather used to tell me, ‘Working from 9-to-5 in a corporate job is hard, but so is being an entrepreneur,’ Serenil said. “In life, you have a choice and it's going to be difficult to make sacrifices, but it's important to do what brings you the most joy. I found that choosing entrepreneurship brings me the most joy in life.” 

Now as an adult, Serenil stands side to side with her father, continuing to operate the family business. She attributes the lessons she’s learned from the Wolff Center to shaping her perspective as an entrepreneur.