Since receiving an Athlete Scholar of the Year Award, a multitude of opportunities have opened up for me which have helped shape me into the person I am today. After graduating from Gardena High School in 1995, I began my undergraduate studies at Loyola Marymount University with an emphasis in Marketing. It took a great deal of effort to focus on academics as well as participate in judo to the extent that I wanted. I attended LMU full-time and worked part-time in addition to training and competing in national and international judo tournaments. In 1999, I graduated from LMU with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration.
Upon graduating from college and attending interviews with a myriad of companies, I decided on a job with TRW located in Redondo Beach, California. As a college hire, my first position was as a Program Control Analyst responsible for financial support on a government program. At the on start of my professional career, I found it increasingly challenging to dedicate the same amount of time to judo. At the age of 25, I chose to focus my energy entirely on furthering my career and decided it was time to retire from the sport. And, after 3 years at TRW, now Northrop Grumman, I was accepted into the Master’s of Business Administration Program at the University of Southern California. During this time, I worked full-time and attended my required courses at night. I finally graduated in 2005 with my Master’s Degree in Corporate Finance.
Since obtaining my MBA, I’ve accepted several different positions within Northrop Grumman and am currently the Financial Reporting and Resources Manager for a business unit. I am challenged each day with learning all the various financial aspects of the business as well as learning to be an effective manager and empowering employees.
Not only do I work full-time, but I’m also a mother to my beautiful 14-month old daughter Abigail. The next journey of my life will involve learning to become the best parent I can be, with the help of my husband Jesse and the continued support of my family.
USJF and the Athlete Scholar of the Year Award helped me pursue my interests and dreams and served as a catalyst to all the possibilities I could have envisioned for myself. The assistance provided by the ASOY scholarship helped me create the best possible life for myself and for my family.