Lara (LJ) Shegoski Jouben

I think you're made by your surroundings, so the culture I grew up in really shaped me. My whole family was in the Holocaust, unfortunately, and my grandparents came to America with zero dollars. They made successful lives, and then I watched my parents, who are first-generation Americans, work tirelessly to become successful and offer us access to every opportunity. They showcased giving back in our community and beyond, I think that's what really made me focus on what I wanted to be like. You also learn from your surroundings what you don't want to do. But today honestly, my husband has been a key component is what continues to shape me. I would not have gotten through being on dialysis and strokes and all these things and still be pushing today without him. I would have given up, I could have bailed out taken disability and hidden away but the person that he is ,his support - more than just being my husband, he's my best friend and my true partner - that's what keeps me going keeps me wanting to make our community stronger for the next generation . Continuing to seek the positive with a smile on my face.

Don't be afraid of the challenge. Don't say 'I'm not qualified for that.' If it's out there - go for it, because nobody walks into a job with all the experience. Draw from things you have done that may not have been considered a job but show your skills - for instance perhaps you did robotics in high school, tell them about that. Be like, hey, I did robotics in high school and managed the build season calendar. That's showing you had leadership, are organized and focused. Or If you were on varsity sport team, you learned how to lead, how to be a part of a team, to learn. You have some experience, even if you're 18, 19, 20. But the other thing is, if you're in college, community college, trade school, whatever, get involved there and start making connections to people. It's a small world; you never know when the connections are going do it. Always make sure that when you are conversing with somebody, that you're leaving a positive experience, whether it's at a grocery stop or a coffee shop or in the office. You don't know who you could run into later in life. You never want somebody to think, God, that person cut me off at the coffee shop and knocked over my coffee. Try to be cognizant of your surroundings.

One of the biggest challenges is the use of AI, which can offer a helpful tool but can become a concern if you cant accurately depict yourself to recruiters and hiring teams . Employers want to understand the true strengths, experiences, and qualities each person brings to a role, and how they can support the mission. Technology can support the process but not be the only tool to rely on.

If you're not being honest and upfront about who you are when you're applying to a job, nobody's going to want to work with you. Another thing is there's more people than ever that are looking for jobs, but there's less jobs available. It is important that you have the education or the experience, but you also have to be upfront. Maybe you're a mom coming back from being a stay-at-home mom for 8 years - you didn't do nothing for those 8 years. You were the chief of staff at that house. Talk about how you organized, did you have a special calendar system, make it known what you did that's applicable. Did you start a family YouTube video and show technology skills? You did something. What were you doing that would make you a great administrative assistant? You got to start somewhere. I kept 6 kids playing 12 different sports across 3 different calendars - you did something. Military spouses are moving every 2 to 4 years, so look at them maybe its - , hey, I curated 6 PCSs across 30,000 miles. We lived in Japan at one point and then ended up in Virginia. How did we get there? We didn't just teleport ourselves. You have to change your mindset. On the opportunities side, HR has developed, so it kind of breaks down - do you want to be on the hiring side, do you want to be in investigation, do you want to be the person working in leave of absence or disability? There's a lot more law involved. You could be an HR lawyer. People don't realize there's lawyers who specialize in HR. You could do health HR - hospitals need HR but that's a very specific type. Just like the military, HR is kind of specific. You could work in a school district - if you want to be on the schedule your kids are, why not work in the school district as HR? Then you have the same schedule but you're still doing what you enjoy without having to be in the classroom. Every company needs HR, you just have to find what you are passionate about. If you're passionate about what you're doing and you're enjoying it, you're going to be a better employee 100%.

I believe being empathetic and honest. Hardworking. I believe in being positive and always seeking the sunshine, like a sunflower.