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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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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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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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500 Classes Later
Three years ago, I walked into F45 Edgewood with one simple goal: shed my pandemic pounds and start getting my body ready for pregnancy. What I didn’t know then was just how much that studio would come to mean to me. Not long after I started, my dad’s dementia worsened. F45 quickly became more than…
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Balancing Two Worlds: Bengali Roots, American Choices
Holding Space for Myself in Family and Culture From a young age, my father had me living in two different worlds that often contradicted each other. At home, I was encouraged to be empowered, independent, and ambitious — a girl who could think for herself and chart her own path. Yet, when his extended family…
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From the Field to the Café: Job Applications Over Free Lattes
Monday afternoons used to feel heavy, but lately they’ve turned into something I actually look forward to. During baseball season, the Capital One Café gives everyone a free coffee on Mondays—and if you’ve got a Capital One card, it’s half price the rest of the time. That little perk has become the highlight of my…
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Bureaucrat to Baby Steps 