Personal Statement

I believe in the power of people, government, and foundations to identify an issue and provide funding for it. I see myself as a catalyst for transforming the business of providing services to developing services. And, my passion is with people seeking to better their future prospects through education. Grant management, development, and evaluation takes a detail-oriented and analytical mindset. However, to truly transform the dollar and deliver services that foster the well-being of clients being served, create program success, and achieve long lasting results, takes an unwavering commitment to the values of equity, inclusion, and intercultural awareness.

I entered into finance and business management while taking care that the work I do has an overall positive effect on society and the people I serve. Now, as I advance my education, I am at a crossroads in my career. I have three directions opening and widening now that I am nearing the completion of a MA in Communication and Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University:

• Staying at UCSC for 3-5 years, progressively developing my leadership and project management skills, earning the respect that an advanced education provides, and exhibiting the confidence of newly possessed skills. Then using those skills to advance to a higher leadership role.

• Taking on a new leadership role outside of UCSC in management, grant evaluation, or program design, and focusing in on local, state, national or international issues that speak to me.

• Changing direction and entering the workforce as an instructor in the area of communication with specializations such as intercultural communication, business communication, global communication, or digital literacy.

I have looked into the crystal ball regarding staying with UCSC for the duration of my career, and I am confident I would continue to do extremely well. I see my career path going toward a position similar to Chief of Staff, but I do not see myself reaching it here at this campus. I can stay for five years, and then find another campus willing to put me into this role. I am thrilled to stay on as a department manager for another three years, but I need to more on after five years total. Earning a graduate degree in strategic communication and global leadership allows me to write better, communicate better, and understand the needs of the different student, faculty, and staff populations. During my time with UCSC, I will continue serving on more committees and taking on more of a leadership role in equity, inclusion, and diversity initiatives. I will also be looking more at well-being initiatives and community relationship building.

The path diverging from UCSC and embarking on a leadership role in grant or program development will undoubtedly be in the fields of health and human services, education, or sustainability measures. These are areas I already have experience in and a continued commitment to. I want to leverage my communication skills, systems thinking, theoretical analysis, negotiation skills, and training skills; everything I have learned through this program would be applied to a new role. I see this direction as a significant opportunity to embody empowerment through my commitment to the mission and bring uniquely positioned assets to a team doing good in society.

A third, more heart-centered direction I’d like to put my communication expertise towards, is teaching community college communication and life skills. Catching young adults and helping them reframe the way they view and speak to each other and perceive themselves is an invaluable service to society. Allow me to share a reason I find teaching to community college level students to be potentially so rewarding.

A local Santa Cruzan, who did not finish college and said he had no option to do so because of money, lamented to me about being raised on the streets and never learning the basics – how to cook, how to balance his checkbook, what to do when his car breaks down, how to pay taxes. So many young people don’t have anyone teaching or showing them these essential skills. These basic skills are what I would like to show young people heading into community college. People who need extra support are often the first to slip through the cracks.

The few classes this same young man took were intercultural communication courses at Cabrillo College. He said those classes shaped who is today and he is constantly interested in how groups interact with each other. The knowledge he learned from those courses, he said, is still carried into his daily work as a manufacturing supervisor. Catching any person who are slipping by without getting the service and support they need to become their best selves is my passion. Perhaps, as a community college instructor, I will have a role that allows greater access and voice to reach more students.

In summary, I have a great deal of prospects and open to opportunity. I am currently letting the best path unfold before me while I continue developing the infrastructure of experience, education, and self- reflection.

This is your Services Page. It's a great opportunity to provide information about the services you provide. Double click on the text box to start editing your content and make sure to add all the relevant details you want to share with site visitors.

This is your Services Page. It's a great opportunity to provide information about the services you provide. Double click on the text box to start editing your content and make sure to add all the relevant details you want to share with site visitors.

This is your Services Page. It's a great opportunity to provide information about the services you provide. Double click on the text box to start editing your content and make sure to add all the relevant details you want to share with site visitors.