Meet Lena Teva

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lena Teva. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Lena , so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?

For much of my career, especially in the promotional modeling and trade-show industry, I was often the only one in the room who looked or sounded like me. Being a foreigner, having a slight accent, and working in the competitive environment of Las Vegas made me stand out immediately. Early on, I worried that these differences would make people question whether I belonged.

With time, I learned to see those same differences as advantages. Instead of trying to blend in, I focused on the strengths I brought to the table: professionalism, genuine connection, and the ability to communicate across cultures. Being trilingual – English, Russian, and Spanish – became one of my biggest assets. It allowed me to engage with a wider range of attendees and clients, break the ice effortlessly, and create memorable interactions. My language skills often made me the person who could connect with groups others couldn’t, and that helped me book jobs that my competition couldn’t access.

As I built my reputation, clients began requesting me year after year, trusting me to represent their brands at shows across the country. The qualities that once made me feel like an outsider became the foundation of my success. They helped me expand into print work, acting, and even serving as a judge on pageant panels.

Being the only one in the room taught me resilience, adaptability, and confidence in my identity. It taught me to embrace what makes me different and turn it into value. Today, when I walk into spaces where I may still be “the only one,” I see opportunity – not just for myself, but for the people who will follow the path I’m helping to shape.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’ve spent the past eight years building a career in promotional modeling and experiential marketing in Las Vegas, helping brands create memorable, human-centered interactions at trade shows and high-profile events. What I enjoy most is the ability to connect with people in real time – engaging attendees, telling a brand’s story, and creating experiences that leave a lasting impression. That approach has helped me build long-term relationships with clients who continue to bring me back year after year, both in Las Vegas and across the country.

Beyond experiential marketing, I also specialize in digital marketing and content creation. I design and optimize campaigns across diverse platforms, merging creative thinking with analytical insight. I’m drawn to the space where storytelling meets data, making sure brands connect authentically and deliver strong results both online and in person.

I’m also deeply interested in AI technologies and how they are reshaping the future of marketing. I’m currently in graduate school pursuing a master’s degree in computer science, with the goal of expanding my technical capabilities and eventually building my own software or neural network-driven tools for marketing applications. My long-term vision is to create solutions that blend automation, personalization, and intelligent insights to help brands communicate more effectively and efficiently.

Across everything I do – experiential marketing, digital strategy, content creation, and now AI – my focus is always on connection, innovation, and elevating how brands interact with people. I’m excited about the next chapter as I merge my creative experience with advanced technology to build tools that will help with marketing.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I believe that the three qualities that have shaped my journey most are adaptability, relationship-building, and continuous learning.

1. Working in promotional modeling, experiential marketing, and now digital strategy means stepping into new environments constantly. Trade shows, clients, technologies, and expectations all evolve. Being able to adjust quickly whether it’s changing communication styles, learning new tools, or navigating fast-paced situations – has been essential.

2. My career has been built on genuine connections. Networking at trade shows, engaging attendees, maintaining client relationships, and delivering consistent results turned one-time bookings into multi-year partnerships.

3. My path into digital marketing and now computer science came from refusing to stay stagnant. Exploring AI, building digital campaigns, studying analytics, and returning to school for my master’s degree have all expanded what I can offer and where I can go professionally.

My advice is to embrace growth in every form. Get comfortable being uncomfortable and say yes to opportunities that stretch you. Treat every interaction like it matters – be reliable, communicate clearly, and make people feel valued, because strong relationships open doors that skills alone cannot. And stay endlessly curious. Explore new technologies, take courses, read, and experiment. The more you adapt, connect, and invest in your development, the more confident and future-ready you become.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

The biggest challenge I’m currently facing is balancing full-time work with pursuing my master’s degree. Both require deep focus, creativity, and long hours, and managing them simultaneously while still maintaining high performance can be demanding.

To tackle this, I’ve become very intentional with my time. I structure my weeks around priority blocks and leverage productivity tools to keep assignments, projects, and campaigns organized. I also try to lean into disciplined routines – setting boundaries, scheduling study sessions, and breaking larger tasks into manageable pieces. Most importantly, I remind myself why I’m doing this. Investing in advanced technical skills will open the door to building the tools and systems I ultimately want to create for the marketing world.