Boasting titles under her belt like documentation clerk of an import/export company in Long Beach, a seasonal clerk for the California Unemployment Office, a staff analyst at the California Science Center, and her latest achievement, funds development chair of the Los Angeles Urban League of Young Professionals and creator of her own nonprofit, the Project2Profit Group ? it sounds like this young lady of only 26 years old has been, and is still, going places.
It is evident that Cotton, a laid-back and friendly girl who spent most of her life in Los Angeles and the Inland Empire, has had such a strong ambition to achieve from a young age.
?I started taking Spanish in the third grade,? said Cotton.
Cotton always had a knack for learning languages, starting with Spanish, which led her to learn Portuguese, both of which are two languages of which she is fluent in.
?When I was a kid, I actually wanted to be a dentist. But as I got older, I realized that I love languages. I like communicating and helping people,? Cotton said.
As a child, Cotton was a self-proclaimed nerd ? always very involved in school, enrolled in advanced classes and was even a member of the math club. She said she was well-rounded and excelled not only in academics, but also in sports.
Cotton?s choice to go to Cal State Fullerton wasn?t one she made right off the bat.
After getting denied from her first choice, Fordham University in New York, Cotton was accepted to Azusa Pacific University, Chapman University and Cal State Fullerton, among others. She finally decided that CSUF was best for her area of study ? international business.
?I heard good things (about Cal State Fullerton),? said Cotton. ?I really like the professors at the university, they are really engaging, especially business professors. They encourage you to go out and apply what you are learning in real-life situations ? it?s very hands on,? Cotton said.
While at CSUF, Cotton was involved with organizations in the Mihaylo College of Business and Economics, but not right away.
It wasn?t until studying abroad in Brazil and then coming back and obtaining an internship with an import and export company in Long Beach that Cotton was asked to work full-time. Although it didn?t work out, the opportunity made Cotton realize she wanted to get her feet wet and see what CSUF organizations had to offer, particularly in the College of Business.
One organization that Cotton decided to become a part of was the Latino Business Student Association. Eventually she became the director of corporate relations for the organization.
Cotton also found time to join the Future Business Leaders club on campus.
?When you?re in one business club, you?re in them all,? Cotton said.
Upon graduation in 2009, Cotton explored a few options for her life. She contemplated joining the Navy but decided against it. After a few positions that built up her resume, Cotton was one of hundreds of applicants to apply for a staff analyst position with the California Science Center. She got it.
After completing every task to ?perfection,? as she puts it, and being employed for about a year and a half at the center, Cotton?s boss asked her to become part of a very important mission ? to work as a staff analyst for the preparation of one of four of NASA?s space shuttles that is coming to the California Science Center this October.
According to Cotton, heavy planning and development is going into the mission as the massive ?Endeavour,? which underwent over 124 modifications in 2003, will have to make its 12.5 mile trek through South Los Angeles from LAX in an orderly and safe fashion to its temporary home at the center, an ?Orbiter Housing Pavillion.? The center is currently being constructed by engineers and architects.
Upon arrival, the shuttle will be a new state monument and tourist attraction.
?My main job was to keep them on point,? Cotton said.
The short deadline ? about a year and a half, requires extensive planning and a tremendous amount of organization, which Cotton aided in. She was fully responsible for phase one of the mission, helping coordinate things with engineers, architects and project managers.
?As opposed to where the other shuttles are landing, like in New York, we don?t have an ocean or bay to help transport the shuttle. It needs to go right smack dab in the middle of the urban corridor of South Central, in the middle of an urban environment,? Cotton said.
This means that many players are involved in the project, such as AEG and Cal Trans. The shuttle will be moving slowly through urban streets and power lines, and trees will need to be removed in order for it to pass without damaging anything.
?We are getting a lot of city permits for this, which is one part that I am in charge of,? said Cotton.
Joining the Los Angeles Urban League of Young Professionals was a step in the right direction for Cotton.
Cotton joined the league a few months ago, and has already earned her stripes as an important member of the team. The previous funds development chair of the league was transitioning to president when she noticed Cotton and asked her to take her old position.
Cotton accepted without hesitation, as it was a position that she really wanted and knew she could do a lot with.
?I wanted to create better programs. I already knew how to do sponsorship requests and grant writing, so I felt I felt confident,? Cotton said.
Cotton, an athlete as a child, said she has always been interested in fitness, so the first event that she decided to put on was one that involved fitness into the Los Angeles urban community, which Cotton said can be unhealthy.
Cotton decided to build the central theme around putting money in a pot and opening it up to all residents in the community. The person who lost the most weight in a nine-week span of time won the money.
She used her connections to get companies like Cardio Barre in Beverly Hills, Robeks, 5-Hour Energy and Kaiser Permanente to jump on board.
?This position is similar to the one I held while in Future Business Leaders of America at CSUF,? Cotton said.
Cotton has caught the attention of her alma mater, which was shown when she was recently asked to be a judge for CSUF?s Future Business Leaders of America State Leadership Conference, where she got the opportunity to critique and share knowledge to students.
?I feel like I have touched upon all different areas of business that I learned from the Mihaylo College of Business ? By this summer, I will have my website, Project2Profit.com, up and fully running. It?s exciting,? Cotton said.
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