Assistant Director for Environmental Design
Education
M.S., Counseling, San Francisco State University (Career & College Counseling concentrations)
B.A., French, Minor in Dance, Tufts University
How did you get here?
When I graduated from college, I hadn’t chosen a career direction. My focus was on studying and performing with a West African drumming and dance group in the Boston area. At the same time, I accumulated experience, skills and exposure to different work settings through a variety of jobs and explored possible longer term paths. I considered graduate programs in dance ethnology, linguistic anthropology, and other fields. Over time, I developed a set of criteria for what I wanted in my career. While working in an HR and accounting role at a startup tech company, I met with a career counselor and realized that her type of work might suit me. Soon after, I moved back to San Francisco (my hometown) and attended grad school.
I have mostly pursued a “portfolio career,” dividing my work time between my job at Cal and other endeavors, including a private career counseling practice, teaching yoga, and developing workshops combining the two disciplines. I began studying yoga in 2013; since then I have become an advanced registered yoga teacher (RYT 500) and certified as a yoga therapist by the International Association of Yoga Therapists. I sometimes bring yoga concepts and practices, such as an awareness of the mind-body connection and guided breathing and visualization, into 1:1 career counseling and workshops to help students/alumni manage stress, recognize their strengths and desires, envision possible futures, and feel more empowered.
Whom do you work with? What’s cool about your job?
I work with undergraduates, master’s level students and alumni from the College of Environmental Design. I am inspired by their creative skills and desire to make a social impact. I enjoy helping them clarify their goals, see and articulate their unique strengths, and manage stress and uncertainty. It’s also gratifying when students/alumni I’ve worked with get hired or are accepted into grad school! And I appreciate getting to work with competent and caring Berkeley Career Engagement colleagues and campus partners.
What’s the best career advice anyone has given you?
- Being happy is more important than being “important.”
- Follow your curiosity – if something piques your interest, look into it; you never know where it might lead!
Interests/Hobbies
Yoga, dance, photography, other visual and performing arts, biking, walking, languages (besides French, I’ve studied Spanish and Swahili and learned a bit of Dagbani); spending time with family, our two cats, and close friends.