Celebrating Women’s History Month: A Q&A with CARROLL’s Jahaira Olivera

In celebration of Women’s History Month, we are spotlighting the 5 CARROLL women who recently won a CARROLL Circle of Excellence Award. Second up in our spotlight series is Jahaira Olivera, a Florida-based Property Manager.  She recently won the Firm’s “Property Manager of the Year” award for her drive and focus in all areas of her role, such as leading her team with passion and drive (2 employees, under her leadership, were promoted to managers), achieving market rate rents, and supporting residents during repairs and renovations.

Happy Women’s History Month to you! Name a woman from history that you find especially inspiring and tell us why.

Sonia Sotomayor is someone I find inspiring for several reasons. She is the first Latina Justice and third woman appointed to the Supreme Court. She is a champion of women’s rights, something which is very important to me. She derives from the same place where I grew up, the Bronx, NY. Where we are from, many feel as if they will never get out or fear to dream too big. Seeing someone like her, who comes from where we come from and accomplish all that she has, is truly an inspiration to many.

According to CREW Network’s fourth benchmark study, women represent roughly 36.7% of the workforce in commercial real estate. Tell us a little about your career journey which led to your present-day work in multifamily real estate.

I began as a receptionist in a large residential community in South Florida. It was my first exposure to a multifamily community. Since it was a rather large office, I began to ask lots of questions and learn more about the other roles my co-workers held. Eventually, after several years of different positions, it has led me to my current position as a Property Manager.

In what ways have you grown (whether professionally or personally) since you began your career in multifamily real estate?

I feel I have become more determined and driven. When I first began my career, I believe I was very comfortable. I preferred to stay in my comfort zone. Now I can say I have become comfortable with being uncomfortable, as a very smart young lady once told me.

You recently won a 2022 Circle of Excellence award! Congrats! How long have you been a member of the CARROLL team? Tell us what your current role is and what an average day may look like for you.

I have been a member of CARROLL for a little over 9 years. My current role is Property Manager. An average day for me can vary. On any given day, I could be trying to find a family a new home, all while trying to help another family whose apartment just flooded because of a storm. An average day in this business is never the same.

What is one of the most fulfilling parts of your job?

The most fulfilling part of my job is the connections I make with our residents. I always try to keep in mind, I work in our resident’s home. If I can help make their stay with us a good one, then I have done a good job. I also really enjoy participating in giving back to our communities. I love that CARROLL promotes giving back through its community impact program. Charity is very important to me, and I love that I work for a company which finds it as important as I do.

What is something you wish your present self could tell your younger self?

“You can do anything you want to do if you believe in yourself.”

How can women continue to support/empower each other in today’s workplace and in the communities in which we live?

Women can support and empower each other by demonstrating kindness and compassion towards each other. We should celebrate each other’s accomplishments and strengths. Women have a long history of fight, and we must show little girls in our communities and in our lives that women are strong and together we can accomplish anything.

Stay tuned! Throughout the month, we will continue to shine the spotlight on the other incredible women who recently won a CARROLL Circle of Excellence award!