'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAcACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABjAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAcQAAEDBAIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQABQYRBzETFIEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIFEQABBAEFAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAAIDEQQFEyEycf/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8AsyLkHLLbGt3hlLie1fLXFZcQls7ekrKEqWnXWhomtpMLOEkg5rJBHYEZsj5sUpUbTcRkGFEN2d9i7fK4lI9iDz6v/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Survivor season 44 is set to air on Wednesday and will feature 18 new contestants as they get ready to spend 26 days on the Fiji Islands in the wilderness. One of the contestants set to appear on the CBS show is Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt, an engineering manager from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who spent more than half her life in Puerto Rico.
According to Parade, she is reportedly on the show because she is following her dreams. While she started watching the show a little late, ever since she watched the show, she has wanted to compete for the title.
Tune in on Wednesday, March 1, at 8 pm ET on CBS to watch the season premiere of Survivor season 44.
Survivor season 44 contestant Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt works in HP as a Software R&B Manager
One of the castaways set to appear on the show is Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt, who wants to represent Latinas while on the show. She likes to describe herself as energetic, adventurous, and loud and is originally from Puerto Rico and currently lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Survivor season 44 contestant is a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering during her time there from 1997 to 2002. This was followed by Heidi getting a master’s degree in Information System Management from Marist College in 2008.
After completing her education, she started her career by working in INM as a VLSI Designer for five years and as a Human and Technical Resources Assignee for one year before moving to work for the United States Steel Corporation.
During her time there, she worked for three years as an automotive innovation lead and program manager in product development at the USS Research and Tech Center, then for nearly two years as a manager of material research at the same place.
Survivor season 44 cast member currently works at HP as a Software R&B Manager for Data Science Solutions and is a STEM Advocate.
Heidi recently spoke to Parade about her appearance in the upcoming season and said she wants to represent her parents, family, and Latinas. She also wants to represent everyone "who may have an accent" or otherwise sounds or looks different.
The winner she most closely associates with is Sandra Diaz-Twine, the first two-time winner of the series and the winner of Survivor: Pearl Islands and Heroes vs. Villains. She said that the former contestant is almost like a pioneer Latina who won and that she looks up to her.
She added:
"Something different with me, hopefully, will be that I won't sit out too many challenges. But definitely, she's one of my favorites."
Heidi was asked about a life experience that prepared her for the game, and she said that moving to America after college when she could barely speak English prepared her the most. She added that she had no money, no bad, “pretty much nothing other than an offer for a job.”
Tune in on Wednesday, March 1, at 8 pm ET to watch the season premiere of Survivor season 44 on CBS.
