After graduating college, I began an internship at a lobbying firm, Kasirer, where I received a crash course in all things NYC politics. Later, as a member of Kasirer’s real estate team, I developed a deep appreciation for urban planning and housing policy, and was lucky enough to work on several real estate projects that brought about critical community benefits.

While at Kasirer, I became familiar with Urban Upbound, a social service nonprofit that is run by community leaders and employs an innovative and holistic approach to breaking cycles of poverty in lower-income neighborhoods. Later on, I would join the Urban Upbound team, first as the senior director of programs and most recently as the senior director of government relations. As the first Urban Upbound employee to hold this title, I’ve enjoyed formalizing processes for launching and developing partnerships between Urban Upbound program staff and our government-sector partners, as well as securing discretionary funding, critical for deepening the organization’s impact. 

I am proud to say that I’ve never backed away from a career challenge. Before assuming my current role at Urban Upbound, I worked as a senior program director, overseeing six program directors, a team of over 50 employees, and millions in government contracts. Prior to that, I had no management experience and limited experience with social services. I’m glad that I jumped into this role head first, because the knowledge I gained has allowed me to speak authoritatively now that I advocate to increase funding for these very same programs.

Don’t neglect your “off the clock” duties. Make time to volunteer for campaigns and candidates that inspire you; go to that happy hour even when you don’t feel like it. You never know what you’ll learn, who you’ll meet, or how much fun you’ll have.

Nobody wants to achieve “New Yorker” status more than somebody who grew up just outside of the City. If someone has lived in three of the five boroughs, can they claim to be 60% New Yorker? (Asking for a friend.)