Her Story
About Mone't
Monet Schultz serves as Senior Advisor to New York State Legislator Khalil Anderson in Queens, New York. She previously held the roles of Deputy Chief of Staff and Legislative Director for four years and managed his successful 2020 campaign as the youngest Black person elected to the Assembly. A graduate of Binghamton University with a degree in sociology, where she led the Black Student Union and participated on the speech and policy debate team, Monet is currently a law student at CUNY School of Law focusing on public interest. Her professional experience includes advocacy work with the Legal Aid Society and community-based efforts in Rockaway grounded in harm reduction principles. She is a student member of the Macon B. Allen Black Bar Association and the Bar Association, a member of the NAACP Far Rockaway branch, and formerly served as vice president of the local chapter of the Northeastern Black Lawyers Association. Monet also contributes as an adjunct lecturer in the LaGuardia College Now program, guest speaker for the My Sisters Keepers program, and board member of the New York City Piping Plovers Project while mentoring young women and girls.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Mone't
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to sheer willpower, honestly, just the will and desire to learn. I really enjoy learning, expanding my mental elasticity. I enjoy everything about knowledge, sharing knowledge, gaining knowledge, trading knowledge. I'm a very cerebral person.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I have ever received is to take the pieces that inspire you. Find inspiration in whoever you come across, and take those pieces, those skills, or whatever you like about a person or aspire to be when interacting with that individual. Go beyond the first thought of intimidation or imposter syndrome, and use what is tickling that part of you to find out what skill you'd like and implement it in your own life.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say that it is very important to understand, learn, and really come to terms with your sense of self. Figure out what your self-concept is. Understand that level of responsibility you have to yourself and really develop your personal self-esteem.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
In government, the biggest challenge is a lack of empathy. That's very challenging across the board in government and the legal world. There's also a very distant memory of what life could be or has been, and our imagination is very limited. Too many of us are not seeing past our nose bridges, not seeing ourselves in the context of the larger world.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity is number one, really important. Compassion is very, very important. And I would say communication. All of those are pieces of a dignified effort for community. If you want to build community and have strong relationships and a healthy existence, those are very important.
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