What do you do at LIDS?

I'm a financial assistant at LIDS. That consists of approving paperwork for the department on research and the discretionary funds, doing some projections and account reconciliations. Since my office is in HQ, I help with anything that's needed.

What do you like about your work?

Not only am I learning new things but I'm also using some of the skills that I learned at Sloan. It's a good balance and it made the transition from Sloan to LIDS easy.

How long have you worked at LIDS?

I started in February of 2014, so I'm still quite new. I used to work at MIT Sloan (for 6 years) as an administrative assistant while also having some financial responsibilities for the department. I realized that I'd like to do more financial work, and I found a position at LIDS.

When I first interviewed [at LIDS] I just had a good gut feeling about it. Then when I started working here it just continued, and I felt at home right away. I think it's the people and the atmosphere that make the place nice.

What is it about the people at LIDS?

Okay, well how to define that...I just know that the people are easy to work with. They are always helpful.

What do you do for fun?

For the past few years I've been taking class- es to get a second bachelor's degree, and that took a lot of my private time. So a better question might be: What do I wish I could do for fun?. Once a year I usually go somewhere like Yosemite or Yellowstone. I would like to travel more, to hike more, to read more books. I like watching movies and I love listening to (all kinds of) music!

What was your first Bachelor's degree in?

My first degree was in food chemistry. My high school was focused on chemistry, so at the time that was the next logical step -- to enroll in a bachelor's program in chemistry. My second job was working for a company that was selling, importing, and exporting food ingredients. But then I realized I liked the administrative part of it most. That's kind of how I ended up looking into being an administrative person.

What's next for you?

I just started working here! What's next for me is to be proficient at my job. I would think that I still have some way to go. I've been thinking about taking some classes, maybe in research administration, just to know more about it and do my job well.