Involved Mom
/My time in high school
Attended high school in the
1970s
Overall high school experience
8/10
Grades in high school
A’s and B’s
Favorite subjects
Foreign Language, Math, Physical Education, Science
Struggled with...
Chemistry, I have no idea why I "don't get it."
Favorite extracurricular
Sports / Recreation
Life since high school
“Life is not all about me. My greatest accomplishments have been about helping others and helping them achieve. ”
Attended college / university at
Iowa State University - Preveterinary Sciences
Foothill College - Economics
De Anza College - Paralegal Studies and a Paralegal Certificate
University of West Indies - Political Economics and Third World Development
Post-graduate education or training
ABA accredited Paralegal Certificate
Places lived in US
California, Iowa
Places lived outside the US
West Indies
Current occupations / past occupations
Legal Executive Assistant/Paralegal. Currently a parent appointed committee member of a local school district who gets to make decisions about how a portion of the budget is used to ensure that our students do not fall between cracks/do not fail. Currently an involved parent with my children's schools and school districts so that I bring meaningful and relevant projects and guest speakers to inspire the students with little or no cost to the schools. Co-head chef at a local non-profit's Thanksgiving Dinner event, where we feed thousands, no matter their background or situation, so that they have an opportunity to celebrate as well. Manage my current employer's local office's Community Service Events at a local dining hall where we prepare, cook, serve, clean up and organize tor those in need. Was Guest Dessert Chef, twice, for my county's Annual dinner fundraising event which brings and funds the local public schools in their offerings of art to their students.
Industries I've worked in
- Retail Trade
- Finance and Insurance
- Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (e.g. Law, Accounting, Interior Design, Graphic Design, R&D, PR, Advertising, etc.)
- Administrative and Support Services
- Educational Services
- Health Care and Social Assistance
- Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
- Accommodation and Food Services
- Public Administration (e.g. Government, Police, Judicial, etc.)
- Nonprofit
Did your education prepare you for your career or occupation?
Yes.
Has your education or career/occupation trajectory ever changed? How?
Yes. I found out that I do not understand chemistry so I could not finish pursuing becoming a Veterinarian.
A little introspection...
To me, being successful means...
Feeling fulfilled with the decisions you have made to have gotten to where you are today.
My definition of success has changed over time.
It used to be about money and title.
My greatest accomplishment to date and what I’ve learned from it
Life is not all about me. My greatest accomplishments have been about helping others and helping them achieve. I have adopted children from the county and am ensuring that their lives are meaningful and fulfilled, no matter what career paths they choose.
My biggest mistake or regret so far and what I’ve learned from it
Being mean and petty. I wasted my time, I wasted other people's time and could have accomplished so much more, with so many more people.
An unexpected event that significantly changed my life and how it impacted me
For my final in a required Speech class, we had to write and perform a 60 second speech to convince the audience to at least think about our subject matter. I wrote mine on supporting the US Olympic Committee. I had a jar that I was dropping coins and dollars bills into while performing my speech to my class. At the end of my speech, my classmates emptied their wallets into that jar and asked that I send the funds to the USOC. I contacted the USOC to let them know about this and that I would be in Colorado during that summer for a wedding, and wanted to drop the funds off. I received a response from the USOC that they wanted a copy of my speech and the opportunity of my stopping by as a form of press conference. I handed over the funds from my classmates during my visit, a total of just under $100. I earned a good grade for my Speech class, I was able to convince my classmates to support the USOC, and the USOC and the athletes benefitted from my doing all of this. My small speech made a much bigger impact on so many people, which I did not expect. What you do, matters and affects others.
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My favorite spot in or around Palo Alto
Rick’s Ice Cream store
