The only real valuable thing is intuition.
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Best subjects
Science, Autoshop, Photography
Struggled with...
Spanish. I had an undiagnosed auditory processing learning disability. And undiagnosed ADHD, which contributed to a struggle with every subject.
Favorite extracurricular
Sports / Recreation
My time in high school
Attended high school in the
2000s
Overall high school experience
8/10
Grades in high school
B's and C's. I had an undiagnosed learning disability and a very active social live. I was happily "middle of the road." I don't regret a thing.
Life since high school
“I moved to a place I wanted to be, surrounded myself with family and friends and changed careers, went back to school and followed my dream. I made it happen. And I have never been happier and I have never looked back.”
Attended college / university at
Sonoma State University
Majored in
Biophysical Geography emphasis on Geospatial Information Systems.
Post-graduate education or training
I have a professional certificate in Geographic Information Systems from San Francisco State University.
Places lived in US
California
Current occupations / past occupations
Current: Geographic Information Systems analyst for an environmental non-profit (local) Land Trust. I worked in inside sales selling financing/leasing for capital equipment when I lived in Southern California.
Industries I've worked in
- Finance and Insurance
- Educational Services
- Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- Environmental/Non-Profit
Did your education prepare you for your career?
Yes. I am doing now what I studied and dreamt to do in college. I had a detour for 2 years though.
Has your education and/or career trajectory ever changed? How?
Yes, I studied GIS in college and loved it. Couldn't get a GIS job in Southern California so I took what I could get, inside sales. Still dreamed of doing GIS. Quit the inside sales job and went back to GIS.
A little introspection...
To me, being successful means...
Having no regrets.
My definition of success has changed over time.
When I was younger, I thought of success as a more quantifiable quality.
My greatest accomplishment to date and what I’ve learned from it
Following my heart and making it a career. It was scary but I stuck with it and I literally have my "dream job" that I dreamt of having 5-9 years ago. I learned that if you believe in yourself you can accomplish anything.
My biggest mistake or regret so far and what I’ve learned from it
I regret investing time and energy into someone who didn't appreciate it. I learned to love my own life/self more, and have higher standards for people who I invest time and energy into.
An unexpected event that changed my life and how it impacted me
Almost 5 years ago, I was in a very unhealthy relationship with a boyfriend from college. I followed him to Southern California and worked a job I didn't believe in, in a place I didn't want to be, with a person who I didn't love anymore. After two years of unhappiness, and feelings like I couldn't "get out" of my situation, a Friday afternoon fender-bender changed everything in a split second. I never expected the sequence of events that resulted from the car accident catalyst, but it changed my life for the better- forever. Suddenly with no car, I couldn't commute two hours (in traffic) to the job that I hated. So without thinking about it, I quit the job. With no job, I was no longer tied down to a part of the world I didn't want to be, so I left. When I realized I was free from the geographic location I hated, I hoped I could leave the relationship I had come to hate too. Finally I did and I have never felt more alive than I did when cutting that last string to the life I created there, and the wasted effort I had put into it. I moved to a place I wanted to be, surrounded myself with family and friends and changed careers, went back to school and followed my dream. I made it happen. And I have never been happier and I have never looked back.
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My favorite spot in Palo Alto
The lookout/viewpoint at Foothills Park.
