For Kriziah, curiosity has never been just a personality trait - it's been the driving force behind every chapter of her career.
Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Tampa, Florida, Kriziah grew up watching her father build a career in the pharmaceutical industry, teaching her early on that success comes from resilience, hard work, and embracing new opportunities. Those lessons would shape a career that has taken her across marketing agencies, startups, global publishing companies, and now into the world of financial services.
Her original plan looked very different.
As a student at the University of Tampa, Kriziah intended to become a lawyer, studying Communications with a minor in Law and Justice. But one writing class changed everything.
"I couldn't believe you could get paid to have this much fun," she says. "That's when I realized I wanted to build a career around writing and communications."
After internships in entertainment law and the film industry confirmed that path wasn't the right fit, she leaned into marketing instead, building experience across social media, content strategy, email marketing, publishing, and digital advertising. Along the way, she worked with businesses ranging from local restaurants and medical practices to international media brands and global technology companies.
Each role expanded her perspective, but one quality remained constant: her willingness to learn something new.
"I've always been naturally curious," she says. "Even when I don't know something, I'm willing to figure it out."
When Blend introduced Kriziah to an opportunity supporting Citi, she admits she wasn't completely sure what to expect.
Coming from agency life, financial services felt like unfamiliar territory.
"I remember asking myself, 'Did they hire the right person?' Everything was so technical and so different from what I'd done before."
Instead of letting that uncertainty hold her back, she approached the role the same way she had approached every career transition before: with curiosity.
She immersed herself in learning the language of financial services, explored new systems on her own, and wasn't afraid to ask questions.
"Thank goodness for YouTube and AI," she laughs.
After beginning on Citi's email execution team, Kriziah transitioned to the Digital Analytics team, where she found herself energized by the variety of projects and opportunities to grow.
Today, she supports performance reporting, dashboard development, and analytics across Citi's lending products while continuing to expand her technical skill set.
"It's forced me to face my fear of math," she says. "Now I'm building dashboards and looking at data in ways I never imagined."
One of Kriziah's favorite parts of her role is that no two days look exactly alike.
Her natural curiosity has helped her move beyond simply completing assigned work to identifying new opportunities that create value for the business.
That mindset recently led her to take ownership of an exciting initiative supporting Citi Flex Pay. After noticing an opportunity to expand awareness through social media, Kriziah advocated for the idea and is now leading tactical execution for an upcoming awareness campaign.
"I've been saying since I joined that we should be doing more in social media," she says. "Now we finally have the opportunity, and I'm excited to help bring it to life."
For Kriziah, projects like this reinforce that learning never really stops. Every new challenge becomes another chance to develop new skills, solve new problems, and continue growing.
While Kriziah has worked across countless industries throughout her career, she says Blend has given her something she hadn't experienced before: balance.
Agency life taught her how to think quickly, adapt under pressure, and juggle competing priorities. But Blend introduced a different kind of success; one built on trust, collaboration, and sustainable growth.
She credits both Blend and her Citi teammates for creating an environment where asking questions is encouraged and continuous learning is part of the culture.
Beyond the work itself, the flexibility has been especially meaningful. It allows her to spend more time with her parents, visit family in Puerto Rico, and stay connected to the people who matter most - something she knows wasn't always possible for previous generations of her family.
"I'm so grateful to have the flexibility to be there for my family now."
When asked who has influenced her most, Kriziah finds it difficult to choose just one person.
She speaks proudly about her entrepreneurial grandparents, who built businesses in Puerto Rico, her parents' unwavering work ethic, and her siblings' impressive careers in aerospace engineering and medicine.
"They always taught me that education matters, but opportunities don't just land at your feet," she says. "You have to work for them."
Watching her family build meaningful careers while remaining grounded taught Kriziah the importance of resilience, adaptability, and never limiting what's possible.
Those same values continue to guide her today.
If there's one theme that defines Kriziah's journey, it's adaptability.
From aspiring attorney to marketer, agency professional to analytics specialist, every unexpected turn has prepared her for the next opportunity.
She believes the ability to stay curious, think critically, and embrace change will always matter more than having every answer.
"As long as you're curious, willing to learn, and willing to adapt," she says, "the sky's the limit."
For Kriziah, every career chapter has started with a question. And thanks to her curiosity, each one has opened the door to something even better.
For Kriziah, curiosity has never been just a personality trait - it's been the driving force behind every chapter of her career.
Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Tampa, Florida, Kriziah grew up watching her father build a career in the pharmaceutical industry, teaching her early on that success comes from resilience, hard work, and embracing new opportunities. Those lessons would shape a career that has taken her across marketing agencies, startups, global publishing companies, and now into the world of financial services.
Her original plan looked very different.
As a student at the University of Tampa, Kriziah intended to become a lawyer, studying Communications with a minor in Law and Justice. But one writing class changed everything.
"I couldn't believe you could get paid to have this much fun," she says. "That's when I realized I wanted to build a career around writing and communications."
After internships in entertainment law and the film industry confirmed that path wasn't the right fit, she leaned into marketing instead, building experience across social media, content strategy, email marketing, publishing, and digital advertising. Along the way, she worked with businesses ranging from local restaurants and medical practices to international media brands and global technology companies.
Each role expanded her perspective, but one quality remained constant: her willingness to learn something new.
"I've always been naturally curious," she says. "Even when I don't know something, I'm willing to figure it out."
When Blend introduced Kriziah to an opportunity supporting Citi, she admits she wasn't completely sure what to expect.
Coming from agency life, financial services felt like unfamiliar territory.
"I remember asking myself, 'Did they hire the right person?' Everything was so technical and so different from what I'd done before."
Instead of letting that uncertainty hold her back, she approached the role the same way she had approached every career transition before: with curiosity.
She immersed herself in learning the language of financial services, explored new systems on her own, and wasn't afraid to ask questions.
"Thank goodness for YouTube and AI," she laughs.
After beginning on Citi's email execution team, Kriziah transitioned to the Digital Analytics team, where she found herself energized by the variety of projects and opportunities to grow.
Today, she supports performance reporting, dashboard development, and analytics across Citi's lending products while continuing to expand her technical skill set.
"It's forced me to face my fear of math," she says. "Now I'm building dashboards and looking at data in ways I never imagined."
One of Kriziah's favorite parts of her role is that no two days look exactly alike.
Her natural curiosity has helped her move beyond simply completing assigned work to identifying new opportunities that create value for the business.
That mindset recently led her to take ownership of an exciting initiative supporting Citi Flex Pay. After noticing an opportunity to expand awareness through social media, Kriziah advocated for the idea and is now leading tactical execution for an upcoming awareness campaign.
"I've been saying since I joined that we should be doing more in social media," she says. "Now we finally have the opportunity, and I'm excited to help bring it to life."
For Kriziah, projects like this reinforce that learning never really stops. Every new challenge becomes another chance to develop new skills, solve new problems, and continue growing.
While Kriziah has worked across countless industries throughout her career, she says Blend has given her something she hadn't experienced before: balance.
Agency life taught her how to think quickly, adapt under pressure, and juggle competing priorities. But Blend introduced a different kind of success; one built on trust, collaboration, and sustainable growth.
She credits both Blend and her Citi teammates for creating an environment where asking questions is encouraged and continuous learning is part of the culture.
Beyond the work itself, the flexibility has been especially meaningful. It allows her to spend more time with her parents, visit family in Puerto Rico, and stay connected to the people who matter most - something she knows wasn't always possible for previous generations of her family.
"I'm so grateful to have the flexibility to be there for my family now."
When asked who has influenced her most, Kriziah finds it difficult to choose just one person.
She speaks proudly about her entrepreneurial grandparents, who built businesses in Puerto Rico, her parents' unwavering work ethic, and her siblings' impressive careers in aerospace engineering and medicine.
"They always taught me that education matters, but opportunities don't just land at your feet," she says. "You have to work for them."
Watching her family build meaningful careers while remaining grounded taught Kriziah the importance of resilience, adaptability, and never limiting what's possible.
Those same values continue to guide her today.
If there's one theme that defines Kriziah's journey, it's adaptability.
From aspiring attorney to marketer, agency professional to analytics specialist, every unexpected turn has prepared her for the next opportunity.
She believes the ability to stay curious, think critically, and embrace change will always matter more than having every answer.
"As long as you're curious, willing to learn, and willing to adapt," she says, "the sky's the limit."
For Kriziah, every career chapter has started with a question. And thanks to her curiosity, each one has opened the door to something even better.
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