Empowerment has always been a core value for my path to purpose. Empowerment is about connecting with your community, and to engage with your community, you must form trust and a purposeful partnership by connecting on a genuine level.
One of the best ways to empower others is to inspire them with your story. What steps did you take to get to where you are today? What twists and turns did you discover and how did you tackle them? Being transparent and genuine about your intentions, and what makes you passionate is a key component of building these relationships and trust.
I actively build these relationships by sharing my story on diverse platforms that reach diverse audiences. This communication helps me interact with the communities I engage with on more personal levels, like my time as a guest on KCAA Radio, a radio station in San Bernardino, a county where I engage in a lot of outreach and engagement projects. Through my conversation with the show’s host Robert Porter, I shared my experiences during undergrad at Smith College, my internship at the White House, the exciting experience of being the first in my family to pursue higher education at Cornell University (an Ivy League!), and my work at firms leading community outreach efforts to make an impact in the planning and land development sectors. These experiences have all helped me grow and develop into the leader and strategist that I am today, and I would never have discovered them without norm breaking.
Through the courage of accepting what I knew would fulfill my passions and desires of making an IMPACT and change in the community, I broke the cultural norms I felt surrounding me. I had the courage to tell my family that I would not be an engineer or a lawyer. I would make a name for myself through public service, and I would leave my mark on the world. Breaking these norms let me pursue an education that made my heart flutter and create a career for myself that fulfilled my purpose, even if it was unconventional! And breaking these norms led me to forming Impact Alliances Group, my firm that has allowed me to make a lasting impact that encourages others to act with purpose and innovation with the help of my dedicated, diverse team.
My journey is a special one, and one that illustrates the POWER behind pursuing PURPOSE over what is expected culturally, societally, or even personally. I’m so happy to have been given the opportunity to share my path and my passion for service with Robert Porter and KCAA and share the power that the bravery of norm-breaking gives you. Give my time on the show a listen, and let my experiences show you what pursuing purpose and service can bring you. Unlock your purpose; it just takes a bit of bravery!