Judith is a coordinator of station operations at JetBlue. She is also a Nonahood resident. Read our interview with her below!

Nonahood News: What is your job?

Judith Sierra: I work for JetBlue at the Orlando airport. I am a coordinator of station operations there.

NHN: What does your day-to-day schedule look like?

JS: I wake up early, and I run or I do yoga or any type of physical activity. I work in the afternoon.

NHN: What would you say are the most challenging and rewarding aspects of your job?

JS: The Orlando airport is a humongous operation, and it keeps growing. One of the challenges and one of the things that I also like about the job is to keep everything organized and to help the customer. 

NHN: What got you interested in doing your current job in this area?

JS: I initially moved here because of the large operation and the challenge of working in a large airport. The Orlando airport is actually the busiest airport in Florida and the 10th busiest in the nation. The challenge of working in this huge operation is what got me interested.

NHN: Do you have any interesting hobbies, collections or interests?

JS: I do a lot of running. I try different things related to physical activity just because doing the same thing gets kind of tedious. I like baking; I’m always trying to find a healthier version of a treat or dessert. On the weekends, my husband and I go to different local restaurants.

NHN: What brought you to Lake Nona, and when did you move here?

JS: Initially, I moved here because I was close to work. The idea was to live close to work and the airport because it goes to so many destinations. It’s quick to go to work, and it’s quick if I want to catch a flight. What got me to stay was that I was able to walk to the coffee shop or get a smoothie within a mile from my house. You can’t beat that. I moved to Orlando in 2008, and then I moved to Lake Nona in 2016.

NHN: Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

JS: I want to motivate the members of my community not to be afraid to be beginners, to try something new. I want to encourage everybody to get involved in physical activity for a happier and healthier life.

NHN: What would you say is your favorite part about Lake Nona?

JS: My favorite part is that everything that I need is within the Lake Nona radius. I enjoy walking in the trails or going to a restaurant. I like that everything is super close. One of the things I like about this community is that they organize 5Ks or events and everybody is inclusive. You don’t have to be this elite runner to show up to your local 5K and help out and just run or walk. 

NHN: What would you say to anyone who is considering a move to Lake Nona?

JS: I would say that the thing that I like the most about Lake Nona is that the culture is very inclusive. All the neighbors and the members of our community are welcoming of all kinds of people and we’re coming together; people from different countries or from different parts of our country are coming together. Also, I’m training for the Boston Marathon, and everything I need for training has been here in my backyard.

NHN: Tell us a little more about training for the Boston Marathon.

JS: I’m a big motivator. I work with my peers, my friends, my family, and I motivate them to get outside, to get moving, to walk to run. I wanted to run the Boston Marathon because I don’t look like a long-distance runner. People think you need to have the body and run the whole distance, and that’s not true. I want to show people that you don’t need to look like the stereotype to be able to be strong and to run long-distance. I want to destroy those common misconceptions of fitness.

Photos Courtesy of Judith Sierra