Tiffany Mahadeo

The kids, 100%. I know that's the cliche answer that every mom gives, but it's true. I was a stay-at-home mom for 10 years, and when that ended, I found myself needing work and a paycheck with no resume for the last 10 years. Being able to have them see me go from stay-at-home mom, to worried about what we're gonna do, to now she's got a job, now she's got a better job, now she's making more money - I love that I get to model that for them. It fulfills me, because not only do they see that now, but hopefully they'll carry that with them, and once they're grown and they have partners or jobs or whatever the mix may be, they'll be able to say, oh yeah, hard work pays off, we saw our mom do it.

Know your worth. No one else is going to advocate for you better than you, so go into every opportunity knowing exactly what you're willing to do and what you're not willing to do, and stick to it.

I would say my best piece of advice for women just getting into the workforce is to try different opportunities, but also plan out kind of your map for your career a little bit - not necessarily down to the very nitty-gritty, but have a general direction. Let's say you start in customer service, which lots of people do. Where do you want to go from there? Kind of have that in your head, and start making those connections, and start talking to those people, and start building yourself up into that kind of person, into that position, so that you're perfect for the role.

Because my field is so highly regulated, and we are affected by changes made by the Administration, it's hard not to empathize with the consumer. You want to do everything possible to help them out of a potentially "bad" situation, but sticking to those regulations, ever-changing though they may be - is key to ensuring everyone that receives federal student loans has a fair opportunity for repayment and discharge.

Integrity - having built a work-from-home career, I know how easy it is to not complete your work, or to make an irresponsible decision. It is important to me that I treat my WFH career as importantly and seriously as I would an in-office position.

Respect - It is earned, not given! But once you've earned it, having it taken away is heartbreaking. That all ties back in to "know your worth"! It's the Golden Rule: treat others the way you'd want to be treated. We are all one team working towards a common goal; being a little respectful can go a long way!

Empathy - The work that comes through the Compliance, Risk, and Governance department can seem trivial at a business level, but at the consumer level it can be highly grievous. It's important to treat each task with the same importance, and to give each task the same full attention and effort.