About Zoraya Zoraya de la Bastida was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, a middle child of 3, and raised by ambitious, multi-vocational parents. Her parents were professors, psychologists, military veterans, school principals, nurses, bakers, and seamstresses. As a child, Zoraya was a charismatic go-getter always finding new ways to immerse herself in her community. She loved to connect with people around her and uncover the ways she could brighten their lives. By the age of 15, her dream to move to the United States was quite apparent, and nothing was going to hold her back from realizing that dream. Over the following years, she took initiative by applying to undergraduate engineering programs across California. By 1984, she received her Bachelor's of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of the Pacific and received two MBA's: one in Business Administration and the other in Finance. In 1986, she acquired her professional license as a professional civil engineer. Since residing in San Diego, CA in 1992, Zoraya has worked as a Senior Civil Engineer for the City of San Diego and as a Senior Civil Engineer for the Weule & Ballard Law, APC. During her time at the City of San Diego, she managed a team of 15 engineers for airport real estate and various engineering projects, each project averaged a $20 million budget. For Weule & Ballard Law, APC. Zoraya reviewed construction documents for the firm, prepared detailed reports for the process of lawsuit in defense of the contractor, and investigated and gathered data for forensic review of construction plans. Though she originally intended in being a civil engineer, real estate fueled Zoraya's passions of working one-on-one with folks in her immediate community. In 1995 while Zoraya was at the City of San Diego, she began working as a part-time real estate
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