Heading into her first day of class this semester, Natalia Arai felt a bit intimidated. As someone who’d successfully worked in the cosmetics industry for 12 years—eight of them for Fenty Beauty, the billion-dollar company created by Rihanna—this feeling was unusual. She was used to high-pressure situations and putting herself out there to succeed. But this was different.
“I was a little concerned,” she said. “I was like, What if I’m like the only person who’s been out of school for so long?”
This can be an uncomfortable, yet familiar tale for career changers. To pursue something meaningful sometimes means taking a leap of faith. And Arai soon learned she wasn’t alone.
“When I [got to]class, we were doing our introductions,” she said, “and someone was like, Yeah, I was in marketing for 12 years. There was a playwright, a lawyer, all these different things. And I thought, Hey, guys, I guess I’m home.”
Social Work Superpowers
While at Fenty, Arai said she and her coworkers took a career-focused strengths test. Arai’s biggest strengths? Relationships.
This is no surprise to someone working in sales and marketing like Arai, where client conversations dominate your days. Focusing on your counterpart’s goals and aspirations is key to reaching successful solutions.
“I have a heart for the heart of others,” Arai said. “So for me, it was like, What can I do where my superpower can be maxed out?”
Photo courtesy of Natalia Arai
While designing campaigns and negotiating client contracts had the people-centered aspect she enjoyed, it was missing something. Arai said she began volunteering at soup kitchens and delivered groceries to seniors in her off time. These gave her that feeling of genuine impact, but when the weekend was over and she headed back to her day job, Arai realized she couldn’t wait to get back to her other work.
“It always was like, This is nice for today,” she said, “but what about tomorrow?”
While volunteering, Arai’s bilingual ability gave her an advantage. As the daughter of an Asian American father and a Salvadorian mother, Arai grew up by default in a multicultural household. This upbringing not only gave her the tangible skill of fluently speaking Spanish, but also served as a bedrock for her ability to understand different perspectives. She hopes to bring this passion to multicultural senior populations after graduation.
“I feel that [seniors]deserve to age with dignity, honor, respect, and safety. It’s been heartbreaking seeing immigrant seniors suffering without access to resources,” she said. “When I volunteer at soup kitchens, I’m [one of the only people]that speaks Spanish, and [the seniors]come ask me questions and try to find resources…That’s a community that I care deeply about.”
Arai also gravitated toward social work for its versatility. She researched opportunities in micro, mezzo, and macro social work—ranging from individual therapy to community organizing to policy reform. She didn’t see that breadth of scope in many other paths—especially within the helping professions, where she felt she’d make the most impact.
Eventually, Arai said she’d like to work for the United Nations, and she’s already eyeing the Fordham GSS UN Internship Experience for her specialist phase of the program.
“I would love to explore the bigger picture of international policy,” she said.
A Fordham Family
Arai is no stranger to Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus, where she will complete her coursework this fall. Her mother, Elena Bravocruz, GSE ’95, received her Master of Science in Education from Fordham. As a child, Arai would visit 113 West 60th Street with her father—running laps around the courtyard, and reading the Fordham Ram—as they waited for mom to get out of class.
Photo courtesy of Natalia Arai
For years, Arai said, her mother encouraged her to consider social work as a career path. She knew her daughter had a gift, and while her job at Fenty was glamorous, she was meant for something more.
“People were excited about my job; they would say it was so prestigious,” Arai said. “But it was lacking that element. So when I finally sat down and really looked into it, I thought, Mom is right on this one. I’m just going to stop and listen.”
Now, Arai is pursuing a career with a purpose. Moms are always right. Arai said the emotion of the situation isn’t lost on her.
“I’m excited, and I’m humbled,” she said. “I’m following what she’d been saying and I’m thinking, She does really know me. This is meaningful work that I really want to be a part of.”
