Her Story
About Elizabeth
I've been working for the military for over 20 years, not in the military, but working with them. I was with the National Guard for over 15 years, then worked for the Department of the Navy for over 5 years, and then for the Department of Veteran Affairs for almost two and a half years. Now I work as a civic affairs consultant, and I've been doing this type of work for the past 30 years. What I do is help people who come to me needing assistance with translation, filling out applications, immigration matters, and other civic affairs. I'm also a notary and a justice of the peace. Basically, my work is advocating for those who can't advocate for themselves. I empower them to have a voice, to be heard, and to be seen. I empower them to take charge and control of their life when they feel like they can't. Some of them come to me so overwhelmed because the process can be overwhelming. My thing is that I guide them through the process, step by step, and then I take a step back and see how much they know, how much they've recapped, and how much they think they can do on their own. I handle a lot of immigration work, and sadly, divorces are on the upscale. I try to empower a lot of these women and men who come to me, guiding them through the entire process. I actually go to court with them so they don't feel like they're alone or overwhelmed. I also do counseling because I have a doctorate in counseling. I hit the floor running at 5 o'clock in the morning and sometimes don't stop until 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning. My life is a journal because I journal everything I do, and every day is a learning opportunity for me.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Elizabeth
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received was don't stop being who I am. They were saying don't change who you are, don't ever change who you are, don't stop being who you are. At first, I didn't know what they meant, but now I understand. It's about staying true to myself and my values, being authentic in my work, and not letting external pressures change the core of who I am and what I stand for.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Give it all you got. Don't back down. Don't give up. Don't ever think it's too late, and don't ever think that you're too old. My heart breaks when I see young people today struggling. I tell them, like I tell my granddaughter who is my savant and in her third year at Penn State, that I'm not just here to spoil them but to be their mentor for everything else, which gives me the biggest joy of my life. When I see homeless girls out there, I'll stop them and ask, how did you get here? But let me ask you another question: where can I get you to? I want to see the transformation in them. You are the only person who holds you back, and you're the only person that can make things happen. The sky's the limit.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges right now are that this economy is very tough. With everything that's happening right now with all these politics stuff, it's very challenging, very overwhelming, and very disheartening. The challenge is when I'm trying to achieve something myself and I can't because certain red tape or bureaucracy gets in the way. But the opportunities are that the sky's the limit. You're the only person who holds you back, and you're the only person that can make things happen. I tell people, you are that rocket, and the boosters are the people who try to propel you to a certain limit. After that, they break off. God's trying to get you to an altitude where it was only meant for you, and these other people weren't meant to go with you. They were just meant to boost you and get you to a certain level.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are to drive to be a better version of yourself every day. Learn from your mistakes and turn them into success if you can. The successes can be failures, and the failures can be success. I try to be as normal as I possibly can, though what that is anymore, I don't know. I try to strive to be a better version of myself every day so that I can give somebody something else to look forward to. My routine every day is that I get up at 5 o'clock in the morning and meditate for about an hour, doing some very quiet time and a lot of praying. Then I read a book for about an hour. At 7 o'clock, I hit the ground running with whatever is pressing on my table. I have different notebooks for different things like notaries, justices of peace, divorces, immigration. At the end of the day, I consolidate all those tasks into one daily tasker. My life is a journal because I journal everything I do. I try to learn a little bit more every day to be that much more proficient for someone else who comes in completely lost. Every day, everything is a learning opportunity for me. Another important value is showing up and being ready. If I made a commitment to you, I'm going to be on time for that commitment.
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