My harmonious padlet by Alejandro Tosta Castillo

Who I am?

alejandrorafaeltc — 2024-05-04 17:25:51 UTC

Hello class! My name is Alejandro. I am 35 years old and originally from Venezuela, a South American country. I came to the United States in September 2018 because I was victim of political persecution and discrimination in Venezuela. As a result, I got asylum protection from the US government, which has given me a second chance to make a new life. Furthermore, I have been so fortunate because I have met incredible people in the past five years. My most valuable treasure is my family (parents, grandma, and sister).

Academic Achievements

alejandrorafaeltc — 2024-05-04 17:28:37 UTC

I graduated as a Lawyer from the Law School of the “Universidad Central de Venezuela,” which is the main university in my country, in 2011. The same year, I started my postgrad studies in tax law, and I became a tax attorney. I also completed a short management coach program at the Institute of Higher Management Studies, in Caracas. Furthermore, I joined the Venezuelan Association of Tax Law, and I constantly participated in different courses and programs related with local, national, and international taxation. However, my life changed when I moved to the United States in 2018, so I have to start from zero, and I focused on improving my English. Consequently, I enrolled in the English as a Second Language program at Washtenaw Community College (WCC) in 2020, and I finished it in 2021. I am about to graduate from my Business Operational Management program at WCC, and I am starting a new program: paralegal studies.

Work history

alejandrorafaeltc — 2024-05-04 17:32:56 UTC

I started my career working for a local court. When I moved to Caracas to start my professional education, I worked as a researching assistant for the Penal Science Institute of the Central University of Venezuela. Before I graduate, I got hired as a junior attorney for a lawyer and accountant firm, where I had the opportunity to learn about national and local taxes. However, I always wanted to work for a tax administration, so my dream came true in 2012 when I got hired for Chacao Township, which is one of the most recognized local governments in my country because of the doctrine and tax precedents it has made during many years. After five years of a successful career, a new opportunity was presented to me, and I got hired as an associate tax attorney (a kind of a judge) in the Politic and Administrative Court of the Supreme Court of Venezuela. As a judge in the maximum court in my country, I had the opportunity to make judicial decisions that established precedent in the local tax field. Additionally, I became a professor of the public finances course in my university in October 2017. After I moved to the United States, I got hired as a manager in two restaurants, then I worked for Amazon for almost a year. I am currently working as a full-time Membership Clerk at Costco Wholesale and a part time customer specialist at Sherwin Williams, so I work almost sixty-five hours weekly. I have to do it because I live on my own, and I support my family financially.

Professional Growing

alejandrorafaeltc — 2024-05-04 17:35:00 UTC

My objective is to get into a management position at Costco, so I have been training in many areas around the warehouse to make it come true. Most recently, I got promoted to a Supervisor in Trainning position because I have been able to learn about the company effectively, and I have also added more value to the team thanks to my bilingual skills because I speak both Spanish and English. I am taking this course tas part of my Paralegal program at WCC.

A GOT/Harry Potter fan

alejandrorafaeltc — 2024-05-04 17:39:59 UTC

I love watching movies and tv shows, so my favorite movies are all Harry Potter movies, Fanstic Beast, Maze Runner, Hunger Games, The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Titanic, Avatar, The Proposal, and more. My favorite TV shows are Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, The Witcher, The Wheel of Time, Blood of Zeus, The Crown, The ring of Power, and some others. My favorite hobby is cooking.