Her Story
About Deidre
I've dedicated nearly 20 years to public service, with the last 8 years focused specifically on case management. Before entering this field, I served almost 6 years in the Army and was deployed for one tour during Operation Iraqi Freedom. That military experience instilled in me a deep commitment to service and giving of myself to help others. I currently hold a bachelor's in arts and psychology and an associate's in Human and Social Services. My career began working with individuals who had developmental disabilities, and then I moved into my first teaching position at Orienta House, where I worked with veterans who had chemical dependency issues and were involved in the court system. Throughout my career, I've served diverse vulnerable populations including the elderly, people with developmental disabilities, veterans, and youth struggling with mental health issues. In my current role, I work with youth helping them get jobs and develop self-sufficiency. My goal is to help these kids remove their barriers and become more self-sufficient in their lives. I'm not a check-the-box type of person. I go all in or don't go at all. I'm a go-getter, and I treat my kids like I'm probably their mother because that's where my passion and heart are.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Deidre
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Learn to respect everyone. Not everyone's going to be the same, not everyone's going to operate the same. I'm not the check-the-box type of person. I go all in or don't even go at all. I'm a go-getter type of person. I treat my kids like they're probably my mother because that's just where my passion is and where my heart is. If you're going to get into human services, you have to be passionate in your craft and what you do with people. You've got to want to see the betterment of people, and if you're in it for the paycheck, it's the wrong place. Passion is the word. Have passion for what you do. And if you don't have passion anymore, then maybe look into something else, because burnout is real. And take care of yourself first.
02What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity is huge for me. It's doing the right thing, even when no one's watching. There are going to be times in life where you're going to be walking around, and there might be something that pops up, and you're like, should I do that? I probably wouldn't get caught, but I'm not going to do that. You have to always do the right thing, even when no one's watching, and that is in my personal and professional life. Even if I have done something and I'm kind of ashamed of it, I always believe in telling the truth because it gets you further more than anything, and it shows a lot of respect. Another value is selflessness. I've always been that person that is, just by nature, very selfless. I've had to learn through trial and error that being in case management and working in public services, I have to still take care of myself, but I believe in giving people the benefit of the doubt and trying to do the best I can. And loyalty. I value loyalty, working as a part of a team. When you're with your unit, your army unit, you all have got to work together with cohesion, building that camaraderie and just being loyal to one another to get the mission done. I see that in my professional life, my job. Being loyal to one another and being able to trust each other to get things done and help each other. I really value my military buddies. We just have that brother and sisterhood, and you can't always find it here in the civilian world.
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