My best decisions flowed from curiosity, not fear
/My time in high school
Attended high school in the
1990s
Overall high school experience
9/10. I had a good core of friends with whom I'm still close, and I didn't worry too much about being perfect.
Grades in high school
Mostly A's.
Favorite subjects
English, History / Social Studies, Foreign Language, Performing Arts
Struggled with...
Math. It doesn't come naturally to me, and I was busy enough that I didn't put in extra study time.
Favorite extracurricular
Music
Life since high school
“After college, I was so desperate to get a stable paycheck that I sold myself short and took jobs that weren’t helping me toward something I might want to do. I learned that I should have confidence in my worth and use every fork in the road as a chance to try something I’m curious about. ”
Attended college / university at
Stanford University.
Majored in
English major, history and math minors.
Post-graduate education or training
Got an M.A. in English and, after a four-year gap working, a PhD in English.
Places lived in US
California
Places lived outside the US
Cambridge, England
Current occupations / past occupations
Just finished my PhD and deciding what to do next. I work part-time editing the documentation for a tech company.
Industries I've worked in
- Educational Services
Did your education prepare you for your career or occupation?
Yes and no. I have enough degrees in English that I can get editing work. I never expected to be in the tech industry, though!
Has your education or career/occupation trajectory ever changed? How?
I started off helping high school kids write college essays, then switched to admin work at a university. Then off to grad school.
A little introspection...
To me, being successful means...
Having the freedom to do what seems interesting to you.
My definition of success has not changed over time.
My greatest accomplishment to date and what I’ve learned from it
Getting into a PhD program after being rejected from 17 schools, TWICE. Then getting the degree. I learned that stories that often seem like linear successes (good grades, Big Name college, Fancy PhD) are often the result of ego-bruising, hidden struggles.
My biggest mistake or regret so far and what I’ve learned from it
After college, I was so desperate to get a stable paycheck that I sold myself short and took jobs that weren't helping me toward something I might want to do. I learned that I should have confidence in my worth and use every fork in the road as a chance to try something I'm curious about.
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My favorite spot in or around Palo Alto
Mitchell Park
