Her Story
About Jocelyn
I've been in my field for 10 years, and I've always picked a field that made impact, to always make sure that whatever career I was in, I was always giving back to my community or to the community, to those around that will be playing an influence in the generations to come. I also did community outreach and communications in the educational field. For 6 months, I was in the entertainment industry managing business accounts, but I realized this isn't impactful. Everybody wants that entertainment job, right? But I tried it, and I still went back to serving my community and doing impactful work, because at the end of the day, I felt like it was more meaningful than serving a celebrity. For the past 7 years, I've been doing community relations for the Los Angeles Unified School District, which is the second largest school district in the nation. I work with the Facility Services Division, funded through bond dollars, which is taxpayer dollars. Our taxpayers vote for these bonds to go ahead and renovate our schools that are in major need of updates, to be able to provide facilities that can provide programs for our future generation of students to come. The last bond I was a part of, we were able to win a $9 billion bond to modernize the campuses across the school district. A typical day is being in meetings every single day, working with teams that are on the same mission as you, and being able to build for the community. We're not just building for developers, we're building for an audience that is gonna be a part of our future. Every day is impactful work, hearing a complaint about our construction workers, to hearing a parent say they need a wellness center at their school because of the lack of resources or immigration statuses that are within that community, hearing communities fight for those things. I work with various communities including East LA, San Fernando Valley, and South LA. I just did a ribbon cutting for one of my largest construction projects priced at $325 million, and John Williams was in attendance because we named the auditorium after him.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Jocelyn
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my parents. They have been my support system throughout my journey, especially as a first-generation college graduate who had to figure everything out on my own.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received is always do what you love and wake up every single day to do that work. Remember the whys, you know, in the middle of the society we live in today. It could be overwhelming, so it's always good to remember the whys, expressing grace and gratitude. Be able to wake up every day and jump in a car, even though you're sitting in traffic, at least you get to sit in traffic. I get to go to work, I get to wake up, I get to have a 14-hour day. Some people wish they had jobs right now, you know, you get to do it.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
There's not many of us. It's a lot of men in this industry, especially in the construction world. But just always remember that you are there for a reason and to always stand by what means a lot to you. Out of every 20 men, there's one woman, so we have to push for what our community needs and give them clear and honest messages. Sometimes men want to put a boundary for you, and always remember that you are capable of getting answers, you are capable of pushing for the need of your community. Because you're a woman, it doesn't mean that they can control you otherwise, you know?
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
We're mainly in the construction world, so out of every 20 men, there's one woman. There's a lot of challenges where we have to push for what our community needs and give them clear and honest messages. Sometimes men want to put a boundary for you, and always remembering that you are capable of getting answers, you are capable of pushing for the need of your community. Because you're a woman, it doesn't mean that they can control you otherwise.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
In my personal life, it's family. And in my career, work-wise, it's always sticking to my values, because even work sometimes could try to push you away from those things. The deadlines, or the 'we need to get this done now,' but I don't want to lose the person I am because of those pressures, in a sense.
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