I applied for and accepted a job with 49er ROP. Through this job I was able to learn about the community because I worked with students and staff from both the Placer and Nevada County schools. I also worked with numerous community agencies. However, the work was not my passion. Although I appreciated the value of vocational education, I knew I didn’t want to spend the rest of my career working in this area.
I happened to see an ad in the newspaper for a Program Manager position for the Nevada County CalWORKs Employment & Training program. It was perfect. All of my prior experience prepared me for this job.
4. Is there a history of community service in your family background? Briefly, how would you describe it?
Being in a small town, we didn’t have any formal organizations like homeless shelters or food banks. However, families helped families. If somebody was sick or their house burned down, the community would rally around together. It was a more informal process.
Every night my mom cooked dinner for my great-grandmother and I would take it to her house and visit. She lived independently in her own house until she passed away at age 99. This is one example of family taking care of family.
5. What do you consider to be the major strengths and capabilities that have made you an effective civic community leader? Are they rooted in action, in your personal style, in your organizational, political, and personal relationships, or in something else?
My personal strength is having passion. When you have a passion about something, a firm belief, then, your energy is well-spent. Even when there are times of frustration, and you don’t move forward, you still feel that you are trying to make a difference in the area that you are committed to.
I believe my personal strengths are rooted in action, personal style and in my organizational, political and personal relationships. I look at all of these things and think you can’t really have one without the other. You have to take action to get something done but you also need to establish good relationships with others to make things happen.
What I do is I shop for allies; I look for people who share a similar philosophy, commitment, mission, or a belief system that I really believe in. Those are the people that you can align yourself with. I think any time you want to make a change, if you have that, then, you can just build upon this base. Finding allies provides me with a support system and reinforces my commitment to the work I do.
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