Meet Aleksandra - Confident Woman campaign participant
“The CONFIDENT WOMAN campaign” is a photography project aimed to boost confidence through self-acceptance and self-love, to create a platform to inspire and support women in achieving the life they want. It is limited to 25 participants. Reserve your spot now:
Aleksandra Degernes was born and raised in Post-Soviet Russia, Nizhny Novgorod city. Today, she is an American citizen, a business owner, an advocate for female entrepreneurship among immigrant women, and a proud dog mom. Her workforce development company, MyProgress, LLC, works with hundreds of highly educated immigrant professionals in the U.S. The company's bridge programs attract individuals from various industries and fields such as IT, Accounting/Bookkeeping, and Office Administration. MyProgress, LLC provides recruitment services to companies that struggle with finding qualified, highly motivated employees. The company's mission is to build a bridge between highly educated immigrant professionals and the American labor market. Aleksandra has a Sociology degree from the University of North Carolina and will be receiving her Master of Science in Management in the Spring of 2024. She loves art, trying new cuisine, and sport.
What does it mean for you to be a “confident woman”? What is she like?
A confident woman for me is a woman on a mission. She knows what she wants from this life, she believes in her abilities, and she knows her self-worth. Confidence, however, is not something we are born with. We acquire that state of mind through continuous self-development, desire to grow, and mastery of finding the balance along all of those lines. If you ever meet me in person you can never tell that sometimes, like many other women, I struggle with finding confidence in myself and my abilities. Acquiring confidence is an endless process that requires a growth mindset and a positive outlook on life.
Can you share a situation in life that pushed you towards growing this inner strength and confidence?
Quite often in life critical situations either break us down or make us stronger. I know, it's pretty cliche to say things like that but for me, it was exactly that. After leaving almost five years of abusive relationships, I realized that nothing can stop me from achieving whatever I want in this life. Needless to say, I hit the rock bottom first. I worked through the trauma, analyzed my past, and projected my future desires. There was no fear or doubt in my abilities anymore, only a desire to grow and become a better version of myself. Today, I never give up without at least trying. I have that attitude about pretty much anything in my life.
What is the source of your inner strength?
Stable relationships. My husband and my trusted circle of people are definitely the sources of my inner strength. It's important to surround yourself with like-minded individuals who care about you and your well-being. It doesn't mean that you should surround yourself with people who flatter you all the time but instead the people who would never intend to hurt you.
One piece of advice you would give to women?
Get rid of toxic relationships in your life and surround yourself with like-minded women you want to learn from.
Please share a few words about your photoshoot experience with me.
Oh, Oxana. I am such a huge fan of your work! You are not just an amazing, talented photographer–you're an artist. You have a very unique, signature approach to your photography and your talent goes way beyond providing quality portraits–you inspire and empower other women through your work. It was an absolute pleasure to do this photoshoot with you.
Book your headshot, personal branding or business story photo session. To do this schedule a discovery call:
