Personal Narrative Essay About Skiing

Janica Kostelic is perhaps one of the greatest Olympic skiers of all time. A four-time Gold Medalist, Kostelic is known for her perseverance and determination to succeed. “It seems the more difficult the conditions, the better I do,” Kostelic once said.

Caspio has its own Janica Kostelic in Professional Services and Customer Support Director Bahareh Mahdavi. Whether speeding down black diamond slopes, sky-diving from thousands of feet in the air or leading her team to meet its goals, Bahareh is a thrill-seeking adventurer who treats each day at work as a challenge to overcome with commitment and enthusiasm. On her tenth anniversary at Caspio, we learn more about her exciting life and career.

Hi Bahareh! Thanks for speaking with us today.
Wow, what else do you do in your spare time?
I hit the slopes. Skiing is a passion of mine. Like I said, I love speed and freefalling. With skiing, I get both.

Do you ever worry about getting injured?
Let me share an interesting story. A few years ago, I was skiing down a black diamond slope. The terrain was very steep and full of bumps. Now, I’ve done the run many times and I think I’m a pretty good skier. That time though, I somehow lost my balance and came tumbling down. That was the scariest moment of my life. I was spinning too fast toward two huge rocks and it was either I make it between those rocks safe or hit the rocks hard and be seriously injured. As you see, I survived!

That must have been traumatizing.
Not really. I’ve learned that life will sometimes take you in different directions, so I live with no regrets. It’s funny because I when I was younger I wanted to be an athlete. However, my parents wanted me to either become a doctor or an engineer. I didn’t have much of a choice. I didn’t become a doctor because, well, I was afraid of blood! That left engineering as my only career option, and I studied computer engineering in college. After graduating, I moved on to complete my
When I arrived in the US, I actually looked for a job as a developer. Then, I learned that Caspio was hiring support engineers. I applied and was hired for a support role. That was ten years ago, and our customer base kept growing since. Eventually, I was given an opportunity to build a team as a manager and here I am today.

What’s it like leading a team in Caspio?
Well, every day is a challenge. I like solving problems though, and I approach each day as a problem to be solved. When I first started, the problems I encountered were all about the product. When I transitioned into a managerial role, the challenges become bigger and more interesting. For example, people management is now a vital part of my role. It’s fulfilling work and I feel good when we overcome challenges together.

What’s your proudest accomplishment at Caspio so far?
I tend to plan things and I always think of scaling. I’d like to say that I was able to standardize certain processes that allowed my team to grow better. I’m proud of my team and they are my greatest accomplishment.

What’s the best thing about working for