Madeline Miranda Navarro

I am a religious person, so I feel like my faith and the things that I feel like God has blessed me with is something that I attribute to greatly, but it's also the ability to understand that you are also making the choices of what you are doing as well. A lot of my friends and family have also helped me a lot to get to where I am. My mom has always told me, it doesn't matter where you are and how small you think that this job is, or how insignificant this moment is, do it with the best of your ability. Before I got this job, I was working at a coffee shop for a year because things didn't go as planned in my life. I struggled for a year thinking I'm not in my field, I'm not doing what I'm supposed to. But when my boss interviewed me for my current role, she told me at the end of the first interview that she didn't want to leave me hanging and wanted me to come back for a second interview because she felt I had what it takes to be there. That entire year that I was in a coffee shop, they were setting up this role, because this role was new. It was not ready until I applied. The timing was just right.

Definitely don't be afraid to think that you know it all, or that you have to know everything before applying, or you have to have everything that they say that you need. There are certain requirements, of course, but a lot of it also is definitely having that learning ability and that capability to interact with people, and be curious, and understanding, and being open to whatever that opportunity is. A lot of the times, we get stuck on I need this, or I need to act a certain way, or do a certain way, but sometimes the best is to be open, and being able to be curious about what you're looking for. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Everybody doesn't know everything. The cool thing about having an opportunity to be able to learn is that there are other people that see your skills differently, and they're like, oh, you would be great at doing this, and you never thought of that. A lot of people can see a lot of different aspects of you, so don't feel like you need to know it all, or feel like you need to have it all, because those different life experiences will shape your career, and will help your career, and will push you further into those skills that you already have. Be confident, but also be ready to learn, and be ready to adopt.

Be willing to learn, and especially in my field of work, you do talk to a lot of people, and you have to be able to build that rapport with those around you, with the community. To come in and think that you know everything, that's already giving you a standoffish vibe, or who does she think she is coming in here, implementing things, or thinking that she knows my community, or thinking that she knows what we need. So it's definitely coming in with a humble character and a humble way to be like, okay, I really don't know what this situation needs. Being able to listen and understand and build that relationship. It's all about relationships. You'll get more through what you do with the relationships that you have, instead of thinking that you know what you're doing, because you have X, Y, and Z in your pocket. Understanding that everybody is human in your work and in your life, and that everybody has a story. The value of the interaction with the human being and those around you, and being kind and gentle and compassionate goes a long way, especially with those in your work and in your personal life.

A lot of the cuts and fundings from the government right now with the resources that we have, trying to advocate for housing specifically, a lot of the resources are being shut down. We're trying to scramble, trying to find extra funding, trying to see where the next year's gonna look like with our budget. That is one of the challenges. But at the same time, we still continue to do this work regardless. We're gonna fight to continue to have our doors open, and also doing more private donors, and not relying on the government funding. But it is really hard to continue this work when there's so many other organizations that are also struggling as well, not just us. We need to pull ourselves together and really connect in order to fill those gaps in. Sustainability is one of those things that sometimes kill a lot of the resources that we try to implement. A lot of times we start programs and sometimes we run out of money, or there's no more traction, or they just shut it down.

Understanding that everybody is human in your work, in your life, and that everybody has a story, and the value of the interaction with the human being and those around you, and being kind and gentle and compassionate. It goes a long way, especially with those in your work and in your personal life, because relationships are all also about being compassionate and kind, and your family as well, especially your family, because we know they can push your buttons. Understanding that we're all part of the human race, and that we're all going through different things that we might not know about. We all have a story and a journey here, and we don't always know what's going on, but to be kind in every way possible. Sometimes the things that happen when we interact with someone, it's like, oh, they were mean, or they were this, or they were that, and we want to also be mean, because everybody else is mean, but if you are the person that can stop that cycle, and be like, you know what, people were mean to me, but I'm gonna turn around and still be nice to those around me. Having that mindset, for sure.