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This is SSA: Meet Celeste Urrutia, Admissions Systems Technician

 

At SSA, we believe in enthusiasm. In passion. In being an expert in what you do, not just because of your experience but because you love doing it. We hire people who enhance our culture and our business. And we’re proud to share more about them in our This is SSA employee story series.

Today, we’re delighted to introduce Celeste Urrutia, Admissions Systems Technician here at SSA. Learn more about her and how she’s our one-woman shop for everything related to our POS system for food, retail, and admissions.

SSA Admissions Team
1. Tell us a bit about your journey at SSA.

About four years ago, my husband and I moved from Washington State to Hawaii for his job with the military. After a few months on the island, I began to feel complacent and the urge to work toward a new goal. Through a friend of a friend, I found an opportunity to work at Pearl Harbor supporting their ticketing and admissions operations. Post-interview, I just knew it was a great fit. The talk about so much room for growth got me going because that’s exactly what I was looking for. A company to grow with.

And it really was just the beginning. Pearl Harbor became my initial transition to ticketing and admissions at SSA.

Today, I am the Admissions System Technician supporting the Galaxy system at SSA and our partner locations across ticketing, food, and retail. For those who don’t know, Galaxy is the ticketing POS system we use at SSA and for a few accounts, it is also the POS system for food and retail. This includes helping partner locations transition from a current system to Galaxy as well as creating new members, unlocking users, etc.


2. What drew you to work at SSA?

I’ll be honest, when I learned that admissions at Pearl Harbor was run by a larger company, I was worried that wouldn’t have a family feel. And I’m very happy today to say how wrong I was! Never could I have imagined just what a family culture SSA has cultivated. I don’t think I have ever experienced a workplace before that truly cares about my success and growth as an employee quite like this.


3. If you could give your younger self any advice, what would it be?
There is SUCH a supportive community here within SSA. I would tell my younger self to lean into that community and not be afraid of asking questions about things I’m interested in or to be scared to try something new. Everyone here supports you on your career journey. Your intuition is a gift, use it!
 
4. What has helped you bring your most authentic self to work?
I love helping people grow in their roles and inspiring comradery while reaching their career goals. I believe if you have a work-hard attitude, you can get anywhere in this world. As a Latina woman, I want to inspire other Hispanic women to know that anything is possible with this attitude. I’ve done it, and so can you.
 
Celeste and Amy    Celeste and Family

5. What do you like to do outside of work?
Work-life balance is incredibly important to me. I find that by spending time with my family. Anything from going to local parks, hiking, or watching my daughter kick butt in her soccer games gives me joy. But it’s also about spending time on myself and my passions and interests. I LOVE Latin dancing, Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, Cumbia, Tejano! I love it! My husband and I try and go out dancing at least twice a month and if we can’t make it work, well, it’s always a dance party at my house 🙂

 

Curious to learn more about careers at SSA and the incredible work our people are doing? See more employee stories here.