Trekking Up the River: The Next Step

Photo by Naomi Abelson

In one of the papers I wrote last semester for my Public and Non-Profit Management course, a requirement in the MPA curriculum at Baruch, I was asked to answer this question:

What are your ultimate career goals?

Part of my make-it-up-as-you-go-along answer read as follows:

As a veteran of 20+ years of professional life in the non-profit sector (more than half of which has been spent in Jewish organizations), I am at the midpoint in my career. In the remaining years, it is my goal to transition from the administrative side of the non-profit world (with its focus on human resources, fund raising, finance, communications, lay and professional relations, and governance) to a position rooted in the pursuit of justice, an overriding mandate within Jewish tradition. Whether its focus is social, economic or environmental justice, it is my hope to find a meaningful and appropriate position at the intersection of religious life and public policy from where I will be able to devote my skills, talents, energy and experience to promoting and strengthening the presence of justice within institutions and among individuals for whom it currently is lacking.

Yesterday, I got a firsthand feel for what all those words really mean, and wrote about it here.

With refreshed awareness of the complex issues and challenges that poverty, homelessness and economic injustice present, I am more motivated than ever to move forward in my graduate studies. With parchment in hand, I hope to walk off the stage and keep trekking up the river.