Her Story
About Andrea
My journey into the legal industry really just fell into my lap. I've always had an interest in criminal justice and went to school for it, never switching my major. Coming out of college as a newly single mom, I was trying to get out of the food industry and an office job with a retirement account sounded great. I started as a receptionist at a law office, and honestly, I didn't even know the difference between a paralegal and an attorney when they interviewed me. Within a few months, I could see the difference and decided to get certified as a paralegal. I worked in construction defects first, then moved to family law for about 10 years, totaling 13 years in the legal field. There was an immense sense of pride in being able to enforce the law without being a first responder in harm's way, because at 5'2" and not being athletic, being in uniform was not for me. I made the switch from family law to my current role as Executive Assistant because I needed my work life to change. Family law is extremely demanding, and as a single mom with my daughter entering the pre-teenage years, I wanted to make sure I was my best self for her. This position fell in my path, I put my name in the hat, and it worked out. Now I've been with the pension association for almost 3 years, providing administrative support to the executive director and board of directors, organizing meetings, and helping all 7 executives with specialized projects across departments. I still get to say I'm proud of the fact that I support fire and police first responders in Colorado, now by providing them a financial future for all the hard work they've done.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Andrea
01What do you attribute your success to?
Honestly, family. Being a single mom, I'm not in a position where I could actually sit down and get overwhelmed and not achieve. I have to keep pushing forward, or she wouldn't have the best possible provided to her, so in a large way, she's a huge portion of my motivation. Sometimes it just doesn't feel like enough, but I can't give up on myself, because I feel like giving up on myself would be giving up on her, and that's absolutely not an option. There have been people along this path that have provided me that extra stepping stone when I didn't think it was there, so I'm definitely grateful for those people that have come into my life to do that, because that has changed my trajectory as well. But overall, it really comes down to when you're confronted with external stressors, or just that thought that this isn't gonna work, I can't do this, you have to just keep going. You can't stop. You have to find a way.
02What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity is huge. Being somebody that is trustworthy is essential in the position I work. I need all the executives and the board of directors, when they come to me with a task, whether it's large or just something simple like securing a hotel room, I want them to trust that it's going to get done, it's going to get done correctly, and timely. I try to keep my communication open. Do everything with kindness, do everything with integrity, be honest, be reliable, and make sure that you're having a good time while doing it. That's important. I went so long being stressed out all the time, so I just want to make sure that I'm actually enjoying what I'm doing in addition to providing the support that everybody needs, so they can enjoy what they're doing.
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