Her Story
About Amanda
Amanda Velez serves as Assistant Director at a senior living community in Princeton, New Jersey. She began her career in 2010 at the entry level in healthcare dining and has progressed through roles at six different senior living communities. After earning her Bachelor's in Criminal Justice from Kean University, she transitioned into the field and later completed her Master's in Healthcare Administration at the same institution in December 2021, while also obtaining certification in dietary management. In her current role, which she assumed after returning to full-time work in 2023, Amanda focuses on team building and fostering positive workplace culture, as well as optimizing POS systems and front-of-house operations. She attributes her success to commitment and consistency, and she values leading by example while maintaining strong work-life balance. Amanda is a member of the Senior Dining Association.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Amanda
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to commitment and consistency.
People love to talk about big breakthroughs — the leap, the lucky break, the overnight change. But that’s not really how it works, at least not for me. What works is coming back. Every day, whether it’s a good day or a bad one. Staying committed to the thing and seeing it all the way through, without letting up just because it got hard or boring or slow.
That’s the part nobody wants to hear: it’s slow. And that’s fine, because small progress is still progress. I think a lot of people quit right before it would’ve started to compound, because they were waiting for something dramatic to happen instead of trusting the small stuff to add up.
Pacing matters too. You can’t sprint the whole way — that’s how the bad days turn into bad weeks. Being strategic about the pace you keep is part of the discipline, not a compromise of it.
And underneath all of it, you need the throughline — a real, thought-through sense of how to actually get from A to B. Consistency without direction is just motion. It’s the combination — showing up consistently and knowing where you’re headed — that does the work.
Nothing here is flashy. It’s just steady. But steady is underrated.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received came from the GM at my very first community. He told me, “You have an eye for the floor.” He said it was a real talent, that if it came to me so naturally, that was my gift — and that I shouldn’t waste it. He believed in me before I fully believed in myself, and that moment has stuck with me ever since. Follow your heart - go with your gut
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Let your work speak for you. Don’t defend yourself — let the work defend you. Work in silence and it’ll speak on your behalf.
There’s a time and a place to advocate for yourself, and that time comes. But before it does, put your whole heart into the work itself, and learn through trial and error along the way.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Accountability. Integrity. Authenticity. These are the principles that define my leadership.
I stand firmly behind these values. Never change who you are, what you believe, or how you feel for anyone else — not personally, and not professionally. Cultural fit needs to align with an individual’s sense of self; that alignment matters just as much as any of the more traditional markers organizations look for.
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