Victoria Loyola, 38

Victoria Loyola, 38

Victoria Loyola is a prime example of climbing the career ladder. The Florida Gulf Coast University graduate started at accounting and consulting firm Markham Norton Mosteller Wright & Company as an intern, joined the company full-time in 2005 and became a partner a few years ago.

She’s stayed there for almost two decades because of her coworkers and the variety her job brings. “It’s enjoyable to work with the people here,” she says. “And every day is different.”

As a single mom for the past 10 years, Loyola has also appreciated the work-life balance she’s been able to achieve at the women-led firm. “My kids are super important to me, and being a great mom for them is important,” she says. “Knowing that I have this great place to go to work where I can still have a balance of doing that is kind of why I chose to keep succeeding and going forward here. And I think that being around other women who are raising families and doing things like that has probably made it easier.”

Her father, who spent 36 years with the U.S. Postal Service, has been a major career role model. “It was always about doing a good job all the time,” Loyola says. “Doing the best of your ability at the job, working hard, being committed, being loyal — he was a really good example of that. Doing the right thing all the time, even when no one is looking, is something that he always said.”

She draws from those lessons whether she’s working with clients or managing her team. “In what we do we don’t always have the answer,” she says. “But it’s about learning and listening to your clients, being a sounding board and trying to provide or at least guide them to where they may find the answer.”

Loyola mentors accounting students at FGCU, helping them with internships and other opportunities to explore the career. “It’s very rewarding to be able to sit here and help them learn how to apply what they’ve learned and see them light up when they figure out different tasks and jobs,” she says.

She’s also exploring new things herself, transitioning away from tax work at the firm to a new role reassessing the company’s traditional bookkeeping and accounting services. “It’s been an exciting time to bring in technology and efficiencies to that department to try to revamp it,” she says.

—Beth Luberecki

City of Residence: Cape Coral

Birthplace: Virginia

Years in the area: 35

Marital Status/Children: Engaged/ Daughter and Son and Future stepdaughter and stepson

Alma Mater/Degree: FGCU / Masters in Accounting & Taxation

What community group or organization are you most involved with? Valerie's House, United Way, FGCU Advisory Boards - Accounting Department and Lutgert College of Business

Are you working from the company office, home office or hybrid? Hybrid

What's the weirdest job you've ever had? Or the weirdest task you've ever been assigned? I worked for a printing company that sold booklets with information on obtaining various US scholarships

What's your top tip for being productive? Being productive starts with our mindset and really being able to fully focus our energy on the task on hand. It doesn't mean working longer to get more done, it means working smarter to complete those tasks that are most important. It is important to fully present in each area of our life whether that is professional or family.

If you could have a side hustle, what would it be? beach reviewer/connoisseur

What's your favorite off-hours activity? Spending time with my family

What's the most significant item on your life bucket list — and what's keeping you from completing it? marrying my fiance, time... we are just a few months from starting the rest of our lives together

What's your favorite podcast? N/A

At what percentage on your phone do you start to get Low Battery Anxiety? 25%

What are the top three apps used on your smartphone? email, calendar, Amazon

What books are you reading now? Free to Focus by Michael Hyatt

What's your go-to music genre, band or act to be inspired? Any country music

Who would play you in the movie of your life? Michelle Rodriguez from the Fast and Furious

Where is your happy place? any beach

Describe yourself in three words: grounded, devoted, hardworking

Who is your mentor for your career and why? My father. My father just retired from the US Postal Service after 36 years following serving four ears in the U.S. Marines. He is the greatest role model of hardwork and dedication.

What are the biggest lessons you have learned from your mentor? The biggest lessons I learned from my father includes: hard work, nothing in life is given and everything takes dedication, hard work and a lot of prayer.; forgiveness, we are human and will make mistakes but we have learn from those mistakes to make better choices and decisions. What is even better is if you can learn from observing others mistakes before you make one; and discipline, doing the right thing all the time