Enjoy the present, the little things matter.
/My time in high school
Attended high school in the
1980s
Overall high school experience
9/10
Grades in high school
Mostly A's
Favorite subjects
English, History / Social Studies, Foreign Language, Math, Physical Education, Science
Favorite extracurricular
Sports / Recreation
Life since high school
“My biggest regret was not enjoying my time in college. I saw it as a place in life that I had to pass by to graduate and find a good paying job. I wish I would have enjoyed my time there and made good friends, seeing that most people stay in touch with their college friends. ”
Attended college / university at
UC Davis
Majored in
Environmental science
Post-graduate education or training
Certificate in Water Resource Management
Places lived in US
California
Current occupations / past occupations
Environmental analyst, pool health inspector, full time mom, care giver to elderly grandmother, project coordinator, producer for engineering teams, softball coach, volleyball coach, mother club coordinator.
Industries I've worked in
- Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (e.g. Law, Accounting, Interior Design, Graphic Design, R&D, PR, Advertising, etc.)
- Administrative and Support Services
- Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
- Nonprofit
- High tech
Did your education prepare you for your career or occupation?
Yes, I did go into a career with what I studied/graduated in college. I did that for 9 years and realized that although I love the subject matter, the environmental policies restricted what we could do in a timely matter. Projects took forever to complete, so I left that industry and went into high tech as a project manager. I always thought I would rescue the planet, but that was not the case.
Has your education or career/occupation trajectory ever changed? How?
Yes, I went from a specific career path and completely changed industries.
A little introspection...
To me, being successful means...
Enjoying the little moments in life and appreciating what I have.
My definition of success has changed over time.
When I was younger, success always meant how much money one makes, or what title one has, and what materials one owns. Now that I am in my 40s, materials don't mean a thing, waste of money actually. Title and money mean nothing if you don't have a time to enjoy life.
My greatest accomplishment to date and what I’ve learned from it
Reflecting, my greatest achievement was winning athlete of the year and numerous 1st and 2nd string all city titles. At the time, I didn't enjoy or even thought much about them because my parents always emphasized grades. I see now how hard that was to achieve and I put a lot of effort into sports to achieve what I did.
My biggest mistake or regret so far and what I’ve learned from it
My biggest regret was not enjoying my time in college. I saw it as a place in life that I had to pass by to graduate and find a good paying job. I wish I would have enjoyed my time there and made good friends, seeing that most people stay in touch with their college friends.
An unexpected event that significantly changed my life and how it impacted me
I've always been an overachiever, so when I found out I didn't make it into any of the colleges in applied to, I let myself go. I didn't study, didn't care about life and hit the biggest hole in my life. It turned out that the college admissions made a mistake and came back to me to offer me a spot in the spring, on condition that I would maintain a certain GPA. Unfortunately, my grades were so low, I didn't make it. I had to work my way back up. This experience made me realize that nothing comes easy in life, but I shouldn't give up because what if an opportunity comes to you and you aren't ready for it? So after that, I take nothing for granted and always give it my best.
