Personal Statement:

I was born and raised in the same house my parents built when my mother was pregnant with me.  My father still lives in the house today while my two brothers live nearby with their wives and children.

My father, in his spare time, read widely. His study was lined with shelves upon shelves of books and still there were not enough for his collection as it continued to expand.  Because he saw my growing volume of books he gave me a word of advice: always build more bookshelves in your house than you think you might ever need, because they will certainly be filled.

My studies abroad began after high school when I deferred my acceptance to college so I might live in France for a year. There I met friends from other parts of Europe, Africa and the US. In college I went on to study abroad programs, one for a semester in France and the second for a year in Sweden.  After college I went to London for a year and then returned to California to begin a job in a consulting firm.  When the economy slowed down I took a year’s leave of absence and went to Munich, Germany to study German.  My last trip to Europe was Italy for the 1st year of my master’s.

I have always been one to prefer doing activities around the house rather than going out.  I first realized I had a service heart during the summer before graduate school.  I spent two weeks traveling with a French family in order to teach the 3 young girls English.  Part of that time was spent with another family at their country home in Normandy.  The mother gave me the name of “house fairy” because of the extra work I did in the home.  I helped with the dishes, the laundry and the clearing of cobwebs from the walls when I was not teaching the children English.  I did this housework because not only do I enjoy cleaning, but it was my way of saying thank you to the family who so graciously extended their hospitality to me.

My top three Service Standards:  Administrative:  I developed sound computer skills while working in consulting.  During my years of work I became adept with the Microsoft Office Suite including Word, Excel and PowerPoint.  I also used Outlook as a tool for scheduling meetings and appointments.  Transportation and Travel:  My travel skills come from numerous experiences abroad.  I am quite familiar with being on planes, trains, cars and boats and have scheduled virtually all of my own trips. Housekeeping: Finally my housekeeping skills have been refined here at Starkey were I have learned how to care for higher quality items not common in most houses.  I derive pleasure from seeing rooms become neat and tidy and that is why I was called a House Fairy by the French family with whom I briefly stayed.

I hope to work long-term with one family.