Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | August 19, 2024 | Worcester Business Journal 13 4 0 U N D E R F O R T Y Following her tenure with the City of Worcester's Cultural Devel- opment division, Flores Semidei moved into donor services at the Greater Worcester Community Foundation. Working her way up the nonprofit ladder to the role of arts lead, Flores Semidei established the organization's Creative Intersections grant program designed to promote the cultural development throughout Worcester and bolster cross-sector collaborations between organizations, businesses, and individual artists. Flores Semidei left the GWCF at the conclusion of 2022 to re-open her dance company, Raices Latin Dance. She had originally opened her dance studio in 2011 but had to close its doors when the coronavirus pandemic hit, and her efforts were instead focused on GWCF's Worcester Together: Central Mass COVID-19 Fund, which raised more than $10 million for community responses to the pandemic. Having once taken a back seat, today Raices Latin Dance has more than 100 enrolled students. Further- more, the company has partnered with fellow Worcester-based stu- dio Ritmos Dance Co. to launch Raices Latin Dance youth program to preserve Latino dance and culture and pass them on to following generations. – M.K.M. What did getting the 40u40 award mean to you at the time? I had been a behind-the- scenes person in my work life, and getting the 40u40 award made me feel like I was finally being acknowledged for all my hard work and contributions to this community. What does it mean to you now? It's funny because now I'm officially no longer under 40. Knowing I belong to a special group of amazing, talented individuals here in Worcester feels nice. But I no longer feel the need to accomplish things, and I am more than happy to lend help and mentor the new generation of rising talent. What advice do you have for this year's 40u40 winners? The world has changed since I won 40 under Forty in 2017. My advice to this year's winners is to keep your morals and values strong, cherish the relationships you build, and always make time to spend with your family and loved ones. Time is short, and work will always be there. Class of 2017 Lindiana Flores Semidei Then: Co-owner & co-director, Raices Latin Dance, in Worcester Special projects assistant, City of Worcester Cultural Development division, Worcester Now: Executive director & owner of Raices Latin Dance, Worcester 2017 2024 Though she has enough professional achievements to healthily pack any resume, Sonia Sharma considers taking control of her career as her single biggest accomplishment since receiving her 40 under Forty award in 2019. While still at Dell, Sharma launched the company's customer stories, detailing how Dell partners with individual customers to solve business needs and promote human progress. Sharma led her cross-functional team in delivering Dell's first generative AI customer story featuring the company's partnership with the City of Amarillo in Texas. Sharma led teams across several entities including Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Motor Neurone Disease Association, and Intel to create "I Will Always Be Me", a novel book designed for individuals living with motor neu- rone disease that banks their voices as they read it aloud. Sharma faced burnout during the COVID pandemic, and though she was tentative at first, she decided to leave the comfort of a role she had outgrown. With the goal of being her own boss, Sharma bypassed immediately available opportunities to focus on creating a career in which she could pick and choose to work on projects aligning with her passions, especially those which support women-owned businesses and female professionals. – M.K.M. What did getting the 40u40 award mean to you at the time? It was unexpected, hum- bling. I'm grateful to WBJ for celebrating and developing a network of community leaders and achievers. What advice do you have for this year's 40u40 winners? Get to know at least three or four people, and make a commitment to meet/check in with each other regularly. Class of 2019 Sonia Sharma Then: Social impact, campaigns manager at Dell Technologies, in Hopkinton Now: Marketing consultant, global customer engagement strategist, and brand development expert, self-employed, in Worcester County 2019 2024

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