Rebecca Walker

First and foremost, I give all the glory to God. My background is just an American story. I'm first generation born in America, and my parents really instilled in us faith, service, and commitment to others. They were so happy to be citizens of this country and made sure we got an education, even though we were very poor. For me, it's about being a good steward of everything - your finances, what you're in charge of overseeing. As a government agency employee, it was important for me to make sure that I oversaw what I was in charge of correctly, as a good steward of programming, software, efficiencies in time, and systematic programs. When you're not effective and efficient, the taxpayer is impacted, and that's not appropriate. One of my college professors once said to me, always have a proposal ready for any opportunity. So I was always preparing and researching on my own time, and when opportunities came, I took them boldly. The Lord made everything happen for me, and I was dedicated to learning everything I could and wanting to excel.

One of my college professors once said to me, always have your proposal ready for any opportunity. That advice changed everything for me. I was doing a lot of travel within the state of Florida, and one day I happened to see our program director getting off the plane that I was getting ready to board to Tallahassee. I took that opportunity because you just have to when they come. I boldly introduced myself and said, hi, I happen to work for you, and I gave him my whole pitch about air cards right there. He invited me to present my proposal at their monthly meeting, and he funded the whole project right then and there. That moment was a tremendous career changer for me, and it all came from being prepared with a proposal and taking the opportunity when it presented itself.

Faith is at the center of everything for me. My parents instilled in us faith, service, and commitment to others, to really plug in and give back. For me, it's about being a good steward of everything - whether that's your time, your finances, or the resources you're privileged to be handling. In my work, I always focused on being a good steward for the taxpayers, making sure programs were effective and efficient. It was important for me to learn the organization from the entry point all the way up and bring it full circle. I love serving the citizens of Florida, and that was a beautiful time in my life. Even with a heavy schedule at work, it was a priority to always stay focused on youth, because they're your future. I love young adults and have always volunteered with them my whole entire life. Now in my personal life, I stay focused on the Lord through my Bible study group, we pray for each other, support each other, and when we hear a need in the community, we come together and do outreach to help families or individuals who need it.