Her Story
About Julissa
Julissa Hemmings is a financial analysis and public-sector finance professional with experience at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. She began her career there as a scheduler and advanced to assistant to a chief before entering a training program that led to her current role as Program Financial Analyst, technically a program analyst but focused on financial analysis. Since 2019 she has provided the cost of running programs in the organization through cost accounting work. She holds a Bachelor's in Public Relations earned in 2013 with a minor in Fine Arts and a Master's in Public Administration from the University of South Florida completed in 2017. She is currently working on a second bachelor's degree with one year left, with goals to grow in the public sector toward leadership roles such as CFO.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Julissa
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to God, perseverance, pushing through, and continuous improvement. I have a mindset that is limitless and there's always something I can improve on or get better at. I look at going back to school in my late 30s as just another branch of my path rather than starting over.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I received was at an accounting conference where the speaker talked about being in spaces where you feel like you don't belong and imposter syndrome. The advice is you belong anywhere you think you belong, but you also need to put in the work, be open for development, be willing to be flexible, and apply yourself. You can't expect things to fall into your lap.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell young women entering the field to make connections as early as you can, get internships or jobs to immerse yourself in the industry early, and try to find a mentor. Finding a mentor is hard but very important because school does not translate directly to the real world.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is access to qualified people to guide you and access to opportunities. Finance is very difficult especially being a woman in a male-dominated system. You don't know what you don't know and school does not translate to the real world, so having access to knowledge and opportunity in a community willing to help is the hardest thing.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity is the most important value to me. I believe in transparency, honesty, and helping others when you can. If it's in your range to assist or help anyone, why not? I don't gatekeep information, especially for people coming up behind me. I believe in succession planning and the development of others.
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