By Veronica Gonzalez Hoff, Division of Student Affairs 

Sachi Carr-Chargualaf has traveled the world and carries with her a lifetime of diverse experiences and a love for cultures. Being a part of a military family allowed her to experience living in Guam, California, South Carolina, and many places in between. 

It’s hard to narrow down her favorite experience out of the many places she has visited. “Zion, Utah is very peaceful and beautiful. The power of nature in Niagara Falls, New York. Marta Vineyard in Massachusetts is so cute like you are in the story book yourself. Destin, Florida has beautiful emerald beaches,” she shared.  

Sachi finally settled on Hawaii as her favorite place to go back to time and time again, “I guess because it resembles much of the island of Guam.” 

Sachi was born and raised in Japan and went to Japanese school until she was in 5th grade before transitioning to an American school there. Thirteen different schools later, she has first-hand experience of the benefits of different education systems.  

SUPPORTING & TRANSFORMING OTHERS

The world-traveler has supported the Department of Recreational Sports since 2011. She started as a business associate and has worked her way up to a business coordinator III. Sachi is passionate about helping people and business processes transform. She focuses on hiring student workers for Rec Sports, from onboarding to payroll and helps assist them with HR questions or concerns they may have. 

“I love to see how student workers transform into confident people and workers. Some of the student workers have been with me for four to five years. I literally see them change. Knowing that I have impacted them is so rewarding,” Sachi explained. 

Sachi has a strong background in business and hospitality. She went to the International Business College in Guam and studied airline and hotel hospitality. From there, she went on to work at Hilton International as a Guest Relations Officer and worked as a translator.   

Around that time, a colleague asked her to become an office manager to support his second business. She jumped at the opportunity to learn bookkeeping, human resources, and accounts receivable and accounts payable processes. That opened the door for her to become head of human resources and accounting at a new business in Las Vegas. She helped this business flourish from 13 to more than 60 employees.   

She made Texas home base in 2010 and married her husband a year later. They were close friends in high school and reconnected through social media 30 years later. “We hung out and commuted to school together almost every day in our Senior year.  After graduation, we went separate ways,” Sachi explained. Now, they will be celebrating 12 years of marriage.  

“I still go to Las Vegas quite often to see my children and my grandchildren. And traveling is always on top of my list. I love to visit places I have not been to.” 

LIVING WELL

One of Sachi’s biggest lessons in all her experiences is the importance of mental and physical wellbeing. “Stress got the best of me 20 years ago. My mental and physical wellbeing was shattered in pieces for about a year,” she explained. 

Sachi gravitated towards yoga and deep breathing practices to bring balance back into her life. Working at Texas A&M helps keep Sachi engaged and challenged while allowing her to flourish mentally, physically, and emotionally.  “It’s so easy to neglect yourself when you have millions of things to do so it’s a constant reminder to myself to reflect on my mind and body,” she shared. “You will see me going for a walk or taking group exercise classes when I am stressed.” 

When Sachi isn’t working or traveling, you’ll most likely find her at the nearest beach, “Something about listening to the waves and smelling the sea breeze always calms me.”