Personal Statement

 

Growing up in San Francisco, I was only a short bus ride from City Hall and the Main Library, and spent a lot of time in both.  On one visit to the City Treasurer’s office (part of a school project), the Treasurer offered me a tour of the city’s vault where I was able to watch as workers literally clipped coupons from bonds.  As I was leaving, he reminded me to be sure to tell my parents about the visit, and let them know that he was running for reelection that year.  My politically aware parents thought it was a great story, and a good lesson for me to learn about politics.  At 12, I worked in my first presidential campaign, and later did some work on a local campaign for the Volunteers for Better Government. The political atmosphere in San Francisco at the time was animated and dynamic, and it was great fun to have a small part in it.  By the time the next election was due, I had moved on to other interests, although I did following the political careers of the people that I had worked with, as they moved to important positions in the state party, judgeships and high political offices.

 

In my first year of college, one of our instructors pointed out that most people would change jobs several times in their lives due to promotions, moving to another companies or other reasons, and she stressed the importance of having a comprehensive education so that we could adapt easily to a new position.  I internalized this principle at the time, and never had cause to regret doing so.  I have switched careers several times, going from banking to insurance to retail management and business ownership, to accounting and technology, and most recently, to Department of Veterans Affairs, where I was hired to work in Human Resources because of my accounting skills, and where my banking and insurance background enable me to better assist employees with their insurance and benefits questions.  I am very grateful to have so many opportunities to learn, and to put my skills to work in new ways.

 

I plan to use my MPA to find new opportunities for personal development and growth, preferably within the Department of Veterans Affairs, where so many good people are working very hard every day to provide the best possible care to our veterans. 

Resume

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