Finding the Balance
The truest measure of success is knowing we positively contribute to society. As members of Pi Beta Phi, the vision of our sisterhood calls on us to do that very thing, and I’ve taken the opportunity to incorporate that goal into all my personal and professional endeavors, from teaching to advocacy to my personal work-life balance.
I started my career in the classroom as a third-grade teacher, and through teaching, I recognized that every social justice issue impacting our nation stems from and is rooted in education. I deeply believe educational inequity is a contributor to the systemic issues and problems we see playing out in our country right now. In my current role as Senior Managing Director of Experiences on Teach for America’s national recruitment team, I love having the opportunity to expose college students to issues of inequity that intersect with education, while creating opportunities for students to make an immediate impact.
Over the last summer, I created and ran a virtual fellowship program through Teach for America to connect university students with teachers who had big ideas but needed additional support to get their plans off the ground. Together, the university students and teachers executed projects that are now impacting thousands of K-12 students across the country. In addition to my full-time role, I’ve also been working on launching a personal business and passion project dedicated to supporting womxn from menarche through motherhood. It is called Mi Hita and you can learn more here.
My background in education is a strong backbone for the work I am launching. I recently completed a global fellowship on girls’ education, which further cemented what I had been feeling for several years — my purpose is to support young girls and womxn in every way I can—including cycle education, coaching on optimizing careers and workflow, providing Doula services, and supporting and advocating for Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) womxn. I love the work of empowering, celebrating, supporting and honoring womxn at every stage of life.
Managing these important goals requires an understanding of my own cycle of productivity and rest time, having this understanding allows me to manage my work-life balance. I can only give to others what I’ve been given or found for myself. My grandmother told me early on in my career when I was struggling with work-life balance, “People will take what you are willing to give.” The more I gave of my time, the more people would take of my time. I learned to practice placing boundaries and clearly identify when requests are a “need to have” versus a “nice to have.”
Womxn are often called to do more than their fair share in service of others. When we have a good understanding of our cycles of productivity and rest we are better set up for success. Time management and scheduling can do wonders for balance, but there’s no replacement for taking the time to unwind and unplug. Time is like money; where you spend the most time equates to a higher value. And, just like having a reserve for monetary savings is important, it is important to have a reserve of your time. We need to know when it’s time to spend the weekend executing a new plan for work and when it’s time to watch Gilmore Girls or lay in a hammock with a good book. The beauty of life is in the balance.
I started my career in the classroom as a third-grade teacher, and through teaching, I recognized that every social justice issue impacting our nation stems from and is rooted in education. I deeply believe educational inequity is a contributor to the systemic issues and problems we see playing out in our country right now. In my current role as Senior Managing Director of Experiences on Teach for America’s national recruitment team, I love having the opportunity to expose college students to issues of inequity that intersect with education, while creating opportunities for students to make an immediate impact.
Over the last summer, I created and ran a virtual fellowship program through Teach for America to connect university students with teachers who had big ideas but needed additional support to get their plans off the ground. Together, the university students and teachers executed projects that are now impacting thousands of K-12 students across the country. In addition to my full-time role, I’ve also been working on launching a personal business and passion project dedicated to supporting womxn from menarche through motherhood. It is called Mi Hita and you can learn more here.
My background in education is a strong backbone for the work I am launching. I recently completed a global fellowship on girls’ education, which further cemented what I had been feeling for several years — my purpose is to support young girls and womxn in every way I can—including cycle education, coaching on optimizing careers and workflow, providing Doula services, and supporting and advocating for Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) womxn. I love the work of empowering, celebrating, supporting and honoring womxn at every stage of life.
"I love the work of empowering, celebrating, supporting and honoring womxn at every stage of life."
Managing these important goals requires an understanding of my own cycle of productivity and rest time, having this understanding allows me to manage my work-life balance. I can only give to others what I’ve been given or found for myself. My grandmother told me early on in my career when I was struggling with work-life balance, “People will take what you are willing to give.” The more I gave of my time, the more people would take of my time. I learned to practice placing boundaries and clearly identify when requests are a “need to have” versus a “nice to have.”
Womxn are often called to do more than their fair share in service of others. When we have a good understanding of our cycles of productivity and rest we are better set up for success. Time management and scheduling can do wonders for balance, but there’s no replacement for taking the time to unwind and unplug. Time is like money; where you spend the most time equates to a higher value. And, just like having a reserve for monetary savings is important, it is important to have a reserve of your time. We need to know when it’s time to spend the weekend executing a new plan for work and when it’s time to watch Gilmore Girls or lay in a hammock with a good book. The beauty of life is in the balance.
Read more about Apple in the Fall Arrow.
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