How long have you been a member of WALRAA? What has been your favorite experience so far?

I have been a member of WALRAA since I relocated to the DC area in May 2013. I have been fortunate to have had countless great experiences in WALRAA, from my first member meeting when Irena introduced me, to the day I was elected president. I am looking forward to making many more great memories in the coming year!

How has WALRAA helped you in your field?

WALRAA has helped me to grow tremendously since I joined. I was new to the area, and did not know many people. WALRAA has exposed me to many amazing professionals that I have been able to get to know and learn from during my time with the organization. Thanks to these generous people, I have become a better manager and more confident leader.

How did you first learn about and get started in Attorney Recruiting/Career Services?

I moved to New York after graduating from college and began working as a Legal Assistant in the Securitization and Structured Finance Group at Sidley Austin. After deciding against my original plan of going to law school, I took an interest in legal recruiting. Fortunately, there was a recruiting opening at my firm so I was able to transition smoothly into the department. The rest is history!

What is your favorite moment of your career so far?

This is a tough one.... If I had to pick one, I think it would have to be when I was first promoted to Legal Recruiting Manager. I worked very hard to get to the next step in my career, so when it happened, it was extremely rewarding.

What is it that challenges you most in your job?

Keeping up with the constant change and breakneck pace of the industry.

How do you balance your career and personal life?

We all know recruiting is cyclical, so I try to plan ahead and carve out time for my family and friends whenever possible. We have such full plates that we could easily stay at work late every night, but I think it is important to set limits and boundaries. There are certain times of the year when your schedule is not really your own, so it is important to take advantage of the times when you can control when you leave the office.

What professional goals have you set for yourself this year?

I want to further develop my technological, management and communication skills this year.

What is the best professional advice you have received?

Build your own brand; an excellent reputation will precede you in any job or project you do.

What do you like to do for fun?

My family was in the restaurant business, so I like going out to eat and trying new places (although my husband is one of the best cooks I know!) I also love to travel and took some amazing trips in 2015, so hopefully I can keep up the trend. I have a four year old English Bulldog named Linus (happy to show you a picture anytime!) so when I am in town, much of my free time is spent cuddling with him.

Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.

I grew up in Florida and swam competitively, qualifying for the Junior Olympics on multiple occasions. People always assume I played basketball because of my height, but if you saw me dribble, you would quickly see that is not the case.

How long have you been a member of WALRAA? What has been your favorite experience so far?

I've been a member for 3.5 years -- right when I started at Georgetown in July of 2012.

So many great experiences . . . so tough to choose! The sandwiches at Wilmer are always a highlight. That time Sidley put out tarts for dessert was pretty awesome, too. But I guess -- if I'm honest with myself -- it all comes back to the Mexican fare. So my favorite experiences have been the taco lunch at Crowell during last year's business meeting, and the endless vat of guacamole at the MLA happy hour each year.

How has WALRAA helped you in your field?

TBD

How did you first learn about and get started in Attorney Recruiting/Career Services?

I think it started around Christmas of 2011. Canadian pop sensation Carly Rae Jepsen was all over the radio. "Call Me Maybe," she sang. And the mystery of that directive/question just captured me. How did it apply to MY life? At the time I was an associate at a plaintiff-side firm in DC; my first son was about to be born. The job was difficult, and I knew that when my son arrived a major life change would occur. So, with Ms. Jepsen's guidance, I start pondering the big points. I enjoyed the recruiting and mentoring that I did in my office. I also liked working with paralegals and law students. Thinking back to law school, I remembered my fondness for the career services professionals who played an important role in my professional development. So when 99.5 put it to me on a nearly hourly basis, I thought, well, that's it! "Hey, I just met you. And this is crazy. Here's my [resume]. Call me maybe." The universe was telling me to make the leap. So I jumped . . . and fell to the ground. But after not getting the first job that I applied for at Georgetown, I was welcome to the team in the middle of 2012.

What is your favorite moment of your career so far?

Probably my fourth trip to the Crowell taco bar.

What is it that challenges you most in your job?

It can be a challenge to work on similar issues and questions year after year with students. It's new to them, but I've often seen a variation of the issue in the work I've done with earlier students. So I have to remember that just because I'm familiar with what the student is facing, I cannot pre-judge their circumstances or race to a conclusion that I've come to in the past. Each person presents a unique case.

Oh, and it's also a challenge constantly having to change the water cooler in the office.

How do you balance your career and personal life?

Fail

What professional goals have you set for yourself this year?

I'd like to improve the weaker aspects of my counseling. I'm leaning on my colleagues to help me in that arena, and I'm also trying to research and catalog best practices from other schools and industries. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to make an attempt at five trips to the Crowell taco bar.

What is the best professional advice you have received?

From Ethel Badawi (who, I believe, was passing on this nugget from someone she worked with in the past): "Control the controllable." It's a reminder to worry about and work on only those things you can impact. You can easily drive yourself crazy otherwise!

What do you like to do for fun?

I enjoy time outside with my wife and kids. But not like crazy outside. We don't camp or anything ridiculous like that. I mean parks in DC and outdoor bars on 14th Street.

Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.

"Breaking Bad" was based loosely on my high school debate career.