Thursday, March 31, 2022
What is your current role at Yale University?
Senior Administrative Assistant at the Yale Cancer Center, supporting faculty recruitment, and within the Office of Health Equity Research, supporting the Associate Dean.
What are your main responsibilities?
My main responsibilities include coordinating recruitment visits for faculty candidates and managing Dr. Nunez-Smith’s calendar.
What do you like most about your work?
The opportunity to be exposed to a never-ending supply of amazing research and getting ideas on what type of work I’d like to do in public health. The real icing on the cake is that I have amazing managers that make both my roles enjoyable.
How does your job affect your general lifestyle?
My job has enhanced my overall lifestyle, especially with regards to work/life balance. This environment has reinvigorated my passion to challenge the status quo and advocate for much needed change in the world.
How did you begin your career?
I’m originally from California and moved to Connecticut almost 3 years ago when my spouse was accepted into a graduate program at Yale. I received my B.S. in Nutritional Science and gained my professional experience in Telecom sales, TV/Film production, and hospitality. After moving to New Haven, I was compelled to revisit my previous career goals and focused on applying to positions in a health-related setting.
What steps would you recommend one take to prepare to enter this field?
It’s helpful to search for a role in a department you have a genuine interest in or some sort of personal connection with. If you are excited about what a department is working on, it translates into increased engagement and satisfaction. Take the time and research the projects or initiatives that are going on in the department you are applying to.
What skills, abilities, and personal attributes are essential to success in your job/this field?
In general, to be a successful administrative assistant it’s good to be extremely attentive to detail, organized, and flexible. In my specific roles it has been very helpful to be curious, courageous, and personable as I often get to know the candidates on a more personal level than those interviewing them.
If you could do it all over again, would you choose the same path for yourself? If not, what would you change?
As frustrating as it was to not have had my professional career planned out before college, I would have still followed the same path. I’m almost 10 years out of undergrad and I feel more confident now in what I want to pursue, and I have my journey to thank for that. I certainly would have never imagined moving outside of California, but I am so thankful that life brought me to Connecticut. I’ve been so inspired by New Haven and the amazing advocacy work being done here.
What does YAAA mean to you and how have you contributed as a member?
YAAA is the definition of a community, with people who genuinely care about one another and individuals who put the time and effort in to creating a better future for us all. As a Queer, Black, and Chinese individual, the global pandemic brought about increased anxiety and fear within the communities I identify with most. Being 3,000 miles away from home, YAAA was a safe place I could turn to for support and I am forever grateful. YAAA is a space where I feel I belong, and most importantly, where I feel valued for my opinions and ideas. I learn something new at every YAAA event I attend. I’ve been able to volunteer with YAAA and I recently joined YAAA’s Social Justice Committee, where we collaborate on how to catalyze social justice change within the University
and through the surrounding community.