A Virtual Assistant with a background as a teacher and translator. Yes, this is Sofía, a beautiful mix of unwavering attention to detail, and strong interpersonal, organizational, and multitasking skills.
Sofía is from Argentina, and, as she shared in our community, she belongs to an Italian-Argentinian family. Her grandparents came all the way from Italy to Argentina and settled down here a long time ago.
The social causes that are dear to her are mostly environmental issues. She uses cruelty-free and vegan products, as she cares about the animals and the planet. Sofía in fact deeply cares about animal welfare. In addition, she often volunteers as a tutor to help strugglers learn how to read and write properly in English.
We were so impressed by the story of Sofía that we wanted to learn more, so we asked her a few questions.
Sofía, tell us what is your area of expertise?
My areas of expertise include Executive, Personal and Administrative Assistance, Marketing, English<>Spanish Translation, Proofreading, and English and Spanish Tutoring.
How did you become a freelance Virtual Assistant?
I became a freelance Virtual Assistant when I started my own business as an Online Tutor and freelance Translator. At that point, I realized I had to manage my own calendar, set appointments for my clients, and the like.
For instance, as a remote and self-employed Tutor, I have always helped my students get the most suitable time slots for each one of them. That meant: opening new slots on my calendar, changing lesson times and dates, and canceling lessons students are sometimes not able to attend. I generally do so with a large number of students, all while doing lesson planning and delivery. In addition, I personally answer parents’, clients’, and students’ questions and constantly work hard to find a solution to any problem that may arise. Furthermore, I have always been extremely successful in dealing with all types of clients. That’s why my students keep on buying lessons from me and my clients keep on contacting me back when they need to have a translation done.
What do you enjoy the most about being a freelancer?
I love the fact that I can work from anywhere in the world and get in touch with people who live in faraway countries. In addition, I also love that I can still devote time to my own personal projects and hobbies. Thanks to my multitasking and time management skills.
If you would not be freelancing, what would you be doing?
If I were not freelancing right now, I think I would be working as a veterinarian or an artist, since I am extremely fond of and deeply care about animals and I greatly enjoy the arts (dance, music, theater, painting, etc.) as well.
What are your goals? (Also not professionally speaking)
My professional goal is to become a better professional than I was before by upgrading and enhancing my skills. I have attended an infinite variety of courses, conferences, lectures. For this reason, I plan to keep on doing so by enrolling in innovative courses of my interest to earn new certifications.
As far as my personal goals are concerned, what keeps me highly motivated is to do some volunteer work at least once a year. I usually surf the net to find local or foreign organizations in need of volunteers. The last one I volunteered for is called Tutoring Chicago. I helped strugglers (native speakers of English) to learn how to read and write in English through methods such as Rainbow Spelling, Skywriting, Spell Reading, Cheering, etc.
What makes you feel you’re contributing to a better world?
I love the fact that I constantly try my best and work hard to get my job done right. In addition, I love to show a professional attitude, skill, and careful attention towards my clients and their requirements at all times.
As shared at the beginning, I started using cruelty-free and vegan products. I always eat as healthy as possible and use products that are not harmful neither to me nor to the environment.
Favourite organization, and why?
My favorite organization is GoCamp, the biggest volunteer program in Eastern Europe. This is where volunteers from the whole globe motivate kids to learn foreign languages. They also introduce fun facts about their home countries to children from all over Ukraine.
I very much liked to volunteer for this organization because, I was not only able to share a piece of my culture and knowledge with Ukrainian kids and teens, but I was also able to make friends with volunteers from around the world.
Do you want to learn more about Sofía?
If you want to learn more and you need support from a virtual assistant, connect with Sofía at Work for Impact. If you want to share your story as a freelancer, you can reach us at community@workforimpact.com.
Read more stories from WFI Freelancers here.