Nonprofit advocate who loves to travel
/My time in high school
Attended high school in the
1980s
Overall high school experience
10/10. I went to a very nurturing, caring school with small classes. We knew everyone. I loved being in a town that was so academically focused with Stanford just down the street.
Grades in high school
Mostly A's. I was a good student and enjoyed school.
Favorite subjects
History / Social Studies, Foreign Language, Math
Struggled with...
English. I always had a hard time with writing and now I write for my job and feel pretty confident about it.
Favorite extracurricular
Sports / Recreation
Life since high school
“I wish that I had taken some more time when I was younger to explore my options. I was pretty focused from a young age. I would say to anyone, including my own children, take the time to figure out what you want to do, even if it doesn’t follow the traditional mold. ”
Attended college / university at
UC Berkeley
Majored in
BA in Political Science and Scandinavian Studies.
Post-graduate education or training
Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs: Masters in International Affairs in Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs
Places lived in US
California, New Jersey, New York
Places lived outside the US
Denmark and England
Current occupations / past occupations
I've been a Director of Development/Fundraising for almost 20 years and have worked in nonprofits and private schools (they are also nonprofits) for my entire career.
Industries I've worked in
- Educational Services
- Nonprofit
Did your education prepare you for your career or occupation?
Yes, I received a solid foundation in high school that I am still drawing upon today.
Has your education or career/occupation trajectory ever changed? How?
I've remained in the nonprofit field but went from a more programmatic position to a fundraising position.
A little introspection...
To me, being successful means...
doing something that you love to do. It shouldn't necessarily be about the money; of course, that does help.
My definition of success has not changed over time.
My greatest accomplishment to date and what I’ve learned from it
Having my two children. They are most of the time a blessing and at other times, drive me crazy. My life would be very different without them.
My biggest mistake or regret so far and what I’ve learned from it
I wish that I had taken some more time when I was younger to explore my options. I was pretty focused from a young age. I would say to anyone, including my own children, take the time to figure out what you want to do, even if it doesn't follow the traditional mold.
An unexpected event that significantly changed my life and how it impacted me
I actually just gave a speech about this event the other day. It happened at the Palo Alto train station many many years ago when I was in middle school. My friends and I had just purchased a bagel and were going through the tunnel to the train station when we realized we were being followed. We ran into the restroom to hide and were robbed a knife point (for a few measly dollars) by what we found out later to be a girl our own age along with her older boyfriend. I became much more aware of my surroundings and actually less fearful of being in new situations.
Anything else you'd like to share?
I loved my experience going to school in Palo Alto. I lived in Los Gatos and had to commute to Palo for school for 6 years but it was all worth it.
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My favorite spot in or around Palo Alto
The Prolific Oven
