Career Path Of Director Of Recruitment And Operations At Galileo Learning

My career path has been driven by a lifelong passion for service and a desire to increase my impact in every role. My first paid job was at a taco shop during high school.

Once in college, I became a debate coach for students who lacked school support. I discovered I loved mentoring, encouraging people to be their best selves, and challenging them. This was a significant passion for me.

At the same time, I studied policy and engagement at UCLA. I took service-learning classes that allowed me to earn credit for internships. Two internships had a major impact on me.

One was with PATH, which stands for People Assisting the Homeless. I worked as an unpaid Community Engagement Intern for 20 to 40 hours a week for a year and a half, organizing volunteers and speaking to large groups.

I also worked at MEND, which stands for Meet Each Need with Dignity. This is a food bank and resource center for Pacoima, a low-income community in LA. I worked there 10 to 20 hours a week for class credit.

There, I realized how much I enjoyed creating systems and making people's lives easier. I loved the idea of streamlining processes, like at a food bank. My takeaways were that I loved nonprofit and impact work, system creation, and making society better.

Teach for America recruited me early in college for their post-graduate program. I interned with their recruitment team during my senior year, working 40 to 60 hours a week and even taking a break from classes. I received direct coaching from the country's top recruiter.

After graduating, I moved to New York City and taught third, fourth, and fifth-grade science to 210 students. I believe teaching is the hardest job anyone can do; managing seven classes of children was more challenging than any other role I could imagine.

Teaching taught me management skills. If I could care for 210 children and all their family members, I knew I could manage adults. My first job after teaching involved managing five interns, which felt much easier.

On the side, I continued recruiting for Teach for America part-time, reporting to my former manager. I enjoyed having a side hustle where I excelled, especially after feeling less confident in my first year of teaching. I also walked dogs with Wag because I missed my own dog.

After Teach for America, my former recruiter supported me in taking over her role as the lead recruiter at UCLA. I worked diligently and became the top recruiter in the country, recruiting over 100 students in my first year. I was promoted to recruitment director after that year, making me the first person in TFA history to receive a promotion after only one year.

By the end of my time at TFA, I managed a team of 13 recruiters and 40 interns. Together, we recruited across the Western US, ultimately bringing about a thousand college seniors into the classroom.

Continuing with my goal of making a significant impact, I moved to Galileo Learning after leaving TFA. This is a nationwide network of STEM summer programs, and as a former science teacher, STEM education is very important to me.

At Galileo, I was the Director of Recruitment and Operations. I recruited at least 2,600 summer staff members, from interns to camp directors, and also hired for many other roles. It's been quite a journey, consistently growing my impact and bringing more people into the work.