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Networking in a Changing Job Market: Why Who You Know Still Shapes Your Career
Networking has always been part of how careers move forward, but stepping into the professional world again—outside the government—has made me realize just how brutally true it is: it’s often who you know, not just what you know, that opens doors. The days when DEIA initiatives kept hiring conversations somewhat balanced feel like they’re on…
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Finding My Way Back to Joy: How My DC Community Carried Me Through a Year of Change
This past year has been one of the hardest—and most beautiful—chapters of my life. It was a year filled with seismic shifts: the dismantling of USAID as I knew it, the uncertainty of unemployment, a pregnancy that tested every part of me, and the fear of stepping into motherhood without the stability I had once…
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Relearning Confidence — Imposter Syndrome Outside of Government
For most of my career at USAID, I lived by one quiet motto: fake it till you make it. And for a long time, it worked. Not because I was pretending to be qualified, but because I trusted myself to learn fast, adapt quickly, and build the right relationships to fill in any gaps. I…
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The Emotional Math of Job Searching at Five Months Unemployed
Finding a job in this economy feels like its own full-time work—except it doesn’t come with a paycheck, benefits, or any clear sense of progress. After nearly five months of unemployment, I’m realizing how emotionally draining a prolonged job search can be. Even after narrowing my focus to social impact jobs, mission-driven organizations, and public…
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The Companion Who Became Family
Unconventional relationships have been the thread running through my life lately, and this one might be the most unexpected of all. I met him in the early days of COVID—not at USAID, where he also worked as a foreign service officer, but in the unlikeliest of places: our neighborhood dog-walking circuit. At first, I wrote…
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Between Parents and Parenthood: The Millennial Sandwich No One Prepared Us For
A reflective story about caring for aging parents as a Millennial and stepping into motherhood — a deeply personal take on what it means to be part of the sandwich generation. I became a caregiver long before I ever became a parent. In my late twenties, while most of my friends were climbing career ladders…
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From Searching Alone to Finding My Fit: On letting go, leaning in, and redefining what alignment means
I’ve always been independent—someone who tries to figure things out on my own and only reaches out for help as a last resort. But this year has knocked that approach sideways. Since January, the international development field has essentially disappeared, and I’ve been left wondering: where do my skills even fit in the private sector?…
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When Control Meets Chemistry: My Gestational Diabetes Diagnosis
I was recently diagnosed with gestational diabetes and anemia. Diabetes runs in my family. My mother developed it when she was pregnant with me — and it never went away. My father, on the other hand, managed to keep it at bay through diet and exercise until his sixties. Their paths have always been a…
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From Pandemic Companion to Big Sister
When I think back to the pandemic, I don’t just remember the fear, the uncertainty, or the long stretches of isolation—I remember Bailey. She was my anchor, my comfort, and in so many ways, my first born child. I brought her home when the world felt like it was spinning out of control, and somehow…
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From Bangkok to Bureaucratic Healthcare: Finding Care that Feels Human
Growing up, I spent much of my childhood in Asia. Bangkok, Thailand, in particular, was where my family would go for annual check-ups or any health issues that came up. Looking back now, I realize I was accustomed to something many would consider a luxury: concierge healthcare. Doctors knew me, appointments were thorough, and there…
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Bureaucrat to Baby Steps 