I’m a born and bred Houstonian and proud Texan. Growing up, the values of working hard to earn your way, being there for your family and community, and caring for your neighbor as yourself were instilled in me by my parents and demonstrated throughout our city, rich with faith, culture and Texan pride.

In 2014, my husband and I became parents, and I took a role at Shell Deer Park. Right away, the site culture of caring and family was apparent, both inside and outside of the plant. Meetings start with “how’s your family?” before getting to business. Longstanding site events like Family Day and Breakfast with Santa open the doors to our families to learn about what we do. It’s contagious, uplifting and supportive.

Even during times requiring me to be at the site or on calls after regular hours, special care is taken to make sure everyone responding to an event has their home responsibilities accounted for, because it’s a given that family comes first.

Since beginning at site, my family grew again (and I was fully supported to take a 6-month maternity leave), I’ve advanced my career, and I have grown personally and professionally beyond what I could have ever comprehended as a child.

In four years, I have worked on some truly incredible and collaborative projects, including the Big Energy exhibit at the San Jacinto Monument. It never ceases to amaze me how much the people I work with, both in the plant and in the community, truly care about working hard to do the best job they can, looking after each other and making someone else’s day in the process. As I have learned more about our site and community history, it’s evident that the legacy of hard work and care is not a new concept, but one that is passed down from generation to generation.

I’m proud to work in an environment that exemplifies these values and for a company that supports working moms the way Shell does. It’s an honor to be part of the long legacy of men and women that have contributed to the success of our city, and I hope to do my part to uphold these values, continuously improve our business, and successfully pass down the same level of care to the next generation when the time comes.

#MyShellStory is a campaign asking you to share your story about Shell Deer Park. If you, or your family, have a story about working at the site, with our employees on community boards or if you’ve ever visited the site during family day or a new unit opening event, we’d like to hear it. Post your stories, photos or videos on social media and tag it with #MyShellStory. Not on social media? Send us your story.

You can follow along as our employees share their #MyShellStory by following us on Facebook and Twitter.