Her Story
About Andrea
My journey into the nonprofit sector was deeply personal. After my father passed away in 2008 from stage 4 colorectal cancer, I made a pivot from my previous career in procurement, project management, and program management to dedicate myself to advocacy. For the past 10 years, I've been working in the nonprofit industry, focusing on health equity and driving awareness about colorectal cancer in the community. What really motivates me is not only my dad's story, but seeing the amount of young individuals with onset colorectal cancer. The statistics keep moving down in age instead of up, like most people anticipated, and it's a preventable disease with just a quick procedure and screening. That really motivated me to get out and let the public and communities know that this is preventable. My typical day involves getting partners to partner with us to host events, formulating resources and materials to hand out to individuals who need help with understanding about colonoscopies, speaking engagements, and mostly being out in the community. I also volunteer with Fight Colorectal Cancer, sitting on panels, doing speaking engagements, and going to Capitol Hill to speak to our representatives about healthcare and health equity. I've brought pain into movement, turning heartache into action.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Andrea
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to bringing pain into movement. After losing my father to stage 4 colorectal cancer in 2008, I transformed that heartache into action and advocacy. It's about taking something deeply personal and painful and channeling it into meaningful work that can help prevent others from experiencing the same loss.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is to follow your passion and follow your heart. This advice has guided me through my career transition from procurement and project management into nonprofit work focused on colorectal cancer advocacy, allowing me to turn personal tragedy into purposeful action.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
The nonprofit industry can be draining, so I would give the advice to make sure you set up boundaries for yourself, and never waver against what your values are. It's important to protect yourself while doing this meaningful but demanding work, and to stay true to your core principles no matter what challenges you face.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The funding is definitely the biggest challenge in the nonprofit industry. There's a lot of red tape when it comes to obtaining funding. However, I think we have a lot of opportunities to enhance where the funding is going, on a national and federal level. If we can improve how resources are allocated and distributed, we can make a much greater impact in our communities.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in my work and personal life are honesty and integrity. These principles guide everything I do, from my advocacy work in colorectal cancer awareness to how I interact with partners, patients, caregivers, and the community. Staying true to these values is essential, especially in the nonprofit sector.
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