BoyzIIMen, U2, Mary J Blige, and Toad the Wet Sprocket
/My time in high school
Attended high school in the
1990s
Overall high school experience
9/10. I enjoyed high school. I mean, being a teenager was hard, just so damned awkward and confusing. But I liked my friends and my school, and all the activities I could choose from. Palo Alto felt safe and generally easy to grow up in.
Grades in high school
Mostly A's
Favorite subjects
English, Foreign Language, Performing Arts, Physical Education
Struggled with...
Chemistry and Physics, couldn't keep up
Favorite extracurricular
Leadership
Life since high school
“[Success] used to be more about quantity, like number of friends, amount paid, amount of influence, how well known I am. Now it’s become more about the quality of my work and relationships — noticing what nourishes me and what drains me, and making decisions about my life accordingly.”
Attended college / university at
UC Berkeley
Majored in
Cognitive Science
Post-graduate education or training
Master's in Counseling Psychology. Pursued Modern Dance / Choreography in Belgium
Places lived in US
California
Places lived outside the US
Spain, Belgium
Current occupations / past occupations
Current: Parenting, Psychotherapy, Non-profit administration, and Running a Household
Past: UNIX systems administration, Choreography, Technical Support in Mobile Messaging
Industries I've worked in
- Administrative and Support Services
- Health Care and Social Assistance
- Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
- Accommodation and Food Services
- Nonprofit
- Information (e.g. Publishing, Film, Broadcast, Telecommunications, Libraries)
- Retail Trade
Did your education prepare you for your career or occupation?
Yes, though my education was before there was internet and cell phones, haha. So a lot of tech had to be learned on the job.
Has your education or career/occupation trajectory ever changed? How?
Yes, big change during my 30's. Made and saved enough money to pursue a less lucrative but more inspiring career
A little introspection...
To me, being successful means...
accepting myself as an imperfect being, feeling strong and energized in my body, and cultivating healthy, mutually respectful relationships.
My definition of success has changed over time.
It used to be more about quantity, like number of friends, amount paid, amount of influence, how well known I am. Now it's become more about the quality of my work and relationships -- noticing what nourishes me and what drains me, and making decisions about my life accordingly.
My greatest accomplishment to date and what I’ve learned from it
Having three kids -- I think I'm a really good mom. I learn all sorts of things, every day, but the most important thing, that I learn, forget, then learn again, is to be patient and present, to connect meaningfully with my kids every day.
My biggest mistake or regret so far and what I’ve learned from it
I have many small regrets and have made multitudes of mistakes, but I do not hold any one biggest one. I suppose one thing I learned from early mistakes is to try to understand issues from the point of view of the people who are directly affected by it -- to be humble in my opinions as an outsider.
An unexpected event that significantly changed my life and how it impacted me
Both my parents have passed away, one when I was 30 and the other when I was 34. Apart from the grief and longing I still can feel on any given day, there is a mix of being more alone in the world, and of being more free to be the kind of adult I want to be. I would love for my children to have their grandparents though, and vice versa. That is the most painful part.
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My favorite spot in or around Palo Alto
Fred's Deli, for lunch
