After working at Interstate Restaurant Supply, I decided to leave my job and change my major to Political Science. While I enjoyed designing interiors and knew that design would always be a big part of my life, I felt that my true calling lay elsewhere.
Political Science was not a giant leap for me, as I love history, and I soon immersed myself in U.S. politics alongside my fellow Poli Sci students. And I had ambitions of going to law school. While studying Poli Sci, one of the requirements of the major was to fulfill an internship. Being the ambitious girl that I was, I landed an internship at the Port of Long Beach (PLB) and had a very positive working experience. I felt like such a grown-up, working in an actual office and having to dress the part. In addition, I actually worked for one of the first female department heads at the PLB and watched on the sidelines as the politics of the day were revealed in front of me.
After my stint at the port, my interests started to move toward finance, and my aspirations turned to learning everything I could about the stock market. After my interior design job, I knew the best way for me to learn about finance, was to immerse myself in it. I did not know this at the time, but this immersion process is one of the themes I carry throughout my life. Whatever I want to learn about, whatever I am into, I take a deep dive and don't look back. I am a risk taker, not afraid of changing my mind or the trajectory of my life.
Finding a job in finance was a hurdle to overcome, but I was determined to succeed. Not knowing any finance firms in Long Beach, I sat down one day in an office where members of the Associated Students hung out (I was the Student Body Election Commissioner—again, fully immersed) and opened up the phone book. I started thumbing through the pages for finance companies and began cold-calling them.
And you know what? I landed a job. I got a job working for a small commodities firm in Orange County. Driving to the O.C. from Long Beach did not deter me, as I had driven from Long Beach to L.A. for my interior design job. I would just be traveling in the opposite direction. My new responsibilities included answering the phone and other miscellaneous paperwork, not the most glamorous, but every day I got to watch real-time commodities trading on the wall, and the ticker tape printing furiously, seemingly going on forever. One day, I answered the phone, and there was a recruiter on the other end, trying to find an assistant for a commodities trader at E.F. Hutton. Naturally, I jumped at the opportunity. Little did I know, there was about to be another hurdle for me to overcome.
My interview at E.F. Hutton was set for a Monday morning, and the Friday and Saturday before that interview, I was scheduled to be on a Geology Field Trip that would take place in Riverside County. Our task was to hike to the San Andreas Fault and study the geological formations in the surrounding area. On that Friday morning, not long into our hike, I fell on the rocks, resulting in my knee becoming hyperextended. My fellow hikers rushed to my side, and one of those brave souls actually pulled my knee back into position. Ouch! That was not a fun experience and I could not walk. I don't even remember how I got out of there, but I ended up in a local hospital, with a locked knee. I could not bend my knee at all. Eventually, my mom showed up and took me home and I remember thinking that I was very thankful that Claremont was not that far away from where we were hiking.
Despite the fact that I was now attached to a pair of crutches and could not walk without them, I was firmly determined to make my interview at E.F. Hutton in Costa Mesa on Monday morning. Lucky for me, my mother was fully supportive. So on that Sunday, my mother and I went shopping for my very first real suit. I will never forget the blue wool pleated skirt and beautiful matching blazer. My suit was very elegant and looked great on me.
On the day of the interview, my father drove me to E.F. Hutton and waited for me outside. I arrived at my interview, crutches in hand, and interviewed for the job with the sole commodities broker working at that E.F. Hutton office. He was a big deal. And you know what? Despite everything that had occurred in the 72 hours prior to my interview, I got the job.