If you could choose anyone, who would you pick as your mentor?
This has evolved throughout my life, as I believe it should, but at this moment I’d choose Robert F Kennedy Sr. Of course, everyone knows JFK, but Bobby Kennedy was known for his compassion, empathy, and unwavering commitment to civil justice—a courageous stance in the 1960s. Most people could probably benefit from a little more RFK.
What’s the best part of your job so far?
I am very social, so I have to say my favorite thing has been meeting AJAC staff. Even though I am home-based, I am highly skilled at derailing virtual meetings with long-winded and irrelevant stories. In all seriousness, I didn’t realize the scope of what AJAC offers and the difference that they (we) are making in people’s lives. Workforce development has been a soapbox of mine for years, especially since I live in such a rural community, and now I feel like I am walking the walk.
What do you like to do outside of work?
The hobby that has taken up most of my time in the past couple years is singing in a cover band. We are called “Strange Brood” because our members include me, my husband, my father-in-law, my sister-in-law, her fiancé, and my husband’s best friend from childhood. My husband likes to say that we are like the Partridge Family, which is… not accurate.
Which celebrity do you get mistaken for?
Not necessarily “mistaken for,” but people (even strangers!) tell me that I remind them of Kate McKinnon from Saturday Night Live. I don’t necessarily look like her, but I am convinced that the comparison comes from my hyper-animated nature. Once in college, a friend told me that hanging out with me was like hanging out with a cartoon.
What’s one thing about you that would surprise me?
When I was 19, I was persuaded to limbo under a cement opening into a building. Believing I had cleared it, I stood up and smashed both of my front teeth into a million pieces. Nine years later, I was in Costa Rica two days before my wedding. Long story short, I fell onto a piece of cement and broke my two fake front teeth into a million pieces. Amazingly, I was able to get them replaced (in Costa Rica) eight hours before my wedding. My cousin/best friend was there both times—she was the one who convinced me to limbo—so I think it was probably her fault.
