Major: Sociology
Profession: Management Analyst
Hometown: Carson, California
What are you doing now?
As a management analyst for the City of Los Angeles, I provide technical assistance to non-profit agencies that have received federal grant funding administered by the city.
How did you get there?
I am a die-hard L.A. girl! I’ve always known that I would live and work in the city. It was just a matter of deciding my industry and then getting the education I needed to get into that industry. The journey to public service was an interesting one, though, because I initially thought I would have a career providing direct services as a social worker. I worked for the County of Los Angeles as a children’s social worker and then decided to get a master’s in social work. Through various work experiences, I found that I did not enjoy case management. I also wasn’t particularly fond of clinical work. So, I did a program that had a macro social work focus. Through that program, I learned the skills necessary to manage human services. As I was finishing my master’s program, the pandemic hit. I happened to have applied and tested for the City of Los Angeles the year prior. I ended up getting a call for an interview. Government management seemed to be a good application of my macro social work skills, so I accepted the interview and was eventually hired by the city’s Housing and Community Investment Department.
How did Pomona prepare you?
Pomona was the place where I learned the value of building community. I spent a lot of time cultivating my faith on campus through organizations like Claremont Christian Fellowship (CCF). It was through my participation in CCF that I became involved in Homeless Lunches, a student-led initiative in partnership with dining services. Students would donate their Sunday brunch and dining staff would make to-go lunches which were distributed by students to unhoused individuals in the City of Pomona. I had the opportunity to go out and serve those lunches, and it was a transformative experience for me.
I majored in sociology and read a book called Stigma by Irving Goffman in an introductory course taught by Professor Lynn Rapaport. I was seeing in real time how certain members of society were outcasts for being poor, parentless or mentally disabled. They were just regular people! What stood out to me most was the willingness and desire to share stories. These people were on the streets with nothing but the clothes on their backs, and they just wanted to talk. It became very clear to me how important human connection is. That’s when I decided to become a social worker.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I love being a public service employee, and I see myself in senior management in the City of Los Angeles within the next five years. I also see myself becoming licensed in clinical social work and using that skillset to contribute to building constituent-centered city initiatives and influencing policy within the city through my work.
Any advice for current or prospective students?
No matter what industry you choose to enter for your career, center relationships and rest. Be a friend and member of the community. Build connections for the sake of your humanity and not just because you think it’ll help you on a job. You’ll find that the time you spend cultivating those relationships will be well spent because you’ll have people to turn to when it’s time to celebrate those job wins or mourn those personal losses.
Pomona College’s campus is the perfect place to learn how to be in community. Study on the quad for that major exam. Write your paper with a friend over a meal at The Coop. Share with your professor what it was like to touch on a topic that resonated with you in seminar. Take naps—long, frequent, just-because naps. Finally, you are more than what you do. You may choose a field and after half a decade decide that it's no longer for you. That’s okay because you weren’t made to be a worker or even an employer. You were made to be. So live and enjoy the process!