LivelyHood

Adventurer | Isabel Porras

 

Tell us about yourself: What do you care about? What do you want to do? 

I care about understanding human cultures, and about facilitating communication and collaboration across disparate groups of people. As an academic specifically concerned with promoting gender, sexual, and racial equality, I am committed to increasing institutional diversity and cultural understanding. I want to facilitate dialogue in order to articulate community needs and produce concrete solutions.

 

What’s the best thing you’ve ever done?

I’ve stuck to graduate school and I’ve taught my dream courses! At the moment I am finishing my dissertation, which is an exercise in endurance and persistence (as well as a testament to my need for deliverables). As a college instructor, the best thing I’ve done is inspire students to pursue their own passion. 

 

What three things do you need to be happy at work?

I work best in a flexible environment that can accommodate some telecommuting and non-traditional hours. As a highly enthusiastic “people person”, I thrive on interacting with the public. Finally, I am happy in workplaces that value my suggestions and input. 

 

What kind of work community do you thrive in?

I love working in flexible, casual environments where my tasks shift according to project needs. I crave working on teams, especially where I can take on a leadership role. I benefit from check-ins with mentors and superiors, but am stifled by micro-managing of daily tasks.

 

Here are the three jobs I can/will do: 

• Writing (memos, white papers, advertising copy)

• Interacting with the public (customers, government agencies, media)

• Managerial (coordinating teams, delegating tasks, planning schedules, education)

 

Here are the three things I won't do: 

• Get involved in personal office drama

• Promote something that is racist/sexist/homophobic, or otherwise discriminatory

• Plagiarize (this includes other forms of theft)