September 9, 2024 • 42 mins
What if your journey from an immigrant struggling with English to a top state official could empower countless others? Meet Zoila, the Deputy Secretary of State for Economic Opportunity under Governor Hochul, who shares her extraordinary story and invaluable insights on how to create economic and social opportunities for all New Yorkers. From combating financial crimes at the Attorney General's office to overseeing critical divisions like the Office for New Americans and the Division of Consumer Protection, Zoila's journey is a masterclass in resilience, dedication, and public service.
Tune in to uncover how early mentorship opportunities and a pivotal internship at the Attorney General's office set the stage for Zoila's illustrious career. Learn about the impact of her work, particularly in supporting immigrants and fostering financial empowerment in communities. Discover the versatility and value of a law degree beyond traditional legal practice, and the importance of becoming a well-rounded applicant for law school through disciplined academic performance and extracurricular involvement. Zoila's career highlights the significant role of passion, experience, and financial considerations in choosing a path in public interest law.
Moreover, explore the importance of community involvement and professional growth through serving on junior boards. Zoila shares her perspective on navigating financial stability, the value of mentorship, and giving back to the community. Hear advice on leveraging professional networks, committing time and expertise to nonprofit boards, and staying informed about philanthropic trends. This episode is brimming with career hacks, mentorship tips, and stories of resilience, making it a must-listen for anyone aspiring to make a meaningful impact in government or public interest fields.
Disclaimer:
The thoughts, views, and opinions expressed on Career Cheat Code are those of the individual guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the host, affiliated organizations & employers. This podcast is intended for informational and inspirational purposes, highlighting the guests and their unique career journeys. We hope these stories inspire you to chase your purpose, define success on your own terms & take the next step in your career.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
help communities and individuals who need sort of you
know, maybe resources and thetools to be able to educate
themselves, be financially savvyand sort of decrease overall
the likelihoods of someonefalling into these financial
schemes.
So I began to have thoseconversations for many months
(00:22):
and I took advantage of manyprograms that were aimed to
empower individuals of color,but also, like you know, giving
you an idea of where to go next,like the Council of Urban
Professionals Cup, which was anamazing program to be part of.
Through those sort ofconversations I got the
opportunity to serve in thisrole.
(00:44):
But that's really what I wasthinking from going from the
AG's office doing financialcrimes to now being in this
position, and it has been anamazing transition that way.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Welcome to Career Cheat Code.
In this podcast, you'll hearhow everyday people impact the
world through their careers.
Learn about their journey,career hacks and obstacles along
the way.
Whether you're already havingthe impact you want or are
searching for it, this is thepodcast for you.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
All right, soyla, welcome to the show.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
Thank you, Ravi.
Thank you for the invitation.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Of course, I'm excited to talk to you today and
learn all about your career andyour path.
Let's jump right in there.
Let's tell the world what it isyou do for a living.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Well, thank you for the invitation, paddy.
As you know, I currently serveas Deputy Secretary of State for
Economic Opportunity at theDepartment of State for Governor
Hochul and in this position, Ihave the privilege to manage and
oversee four state divisions.
That includes the Office for NewAmericans, the Division of
Consumer Protection, theDivision of Community Services
and the Office of AdministrativeHearings so very diverse in
terms of scope, but one keycomponent is that, you know, the
(01:56):
goal is to empower andfinancially empower individuals.
Specifically, you know, with thework that we do with the Office
for New Americans and theDivision of Community Services
With respect to consumerprotection, that is something
that I have, you know, quite abit of experience with with my
time at the Attorney General'sOffice, on and off, and the goal
(02:17):
is really to educate andprotect consumers, something
that I feel very passionateabout.
And overall, you know, alsowith the Office of
Administrative Hearings, theDepartment of State licenses 49
professions, from nail salons tobarbershops, and the
administrative judges heardisciplinary cases where
disciplinary action is required.
(02:38):
And you know, you and I knowhow important, you know, our
licenses and making a living is,so we take that job very
seriously and all of thatcombined, it's really looking at
four different state divisionsthat do really important work
and that touch people's life, soI'm very privileged to be in
this role.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
That's awesome.
So let's dig deeper.
So tell me more about like whatdoes your day look like when
you walk in on a Monday?
Right, you walk in on a Monday,you're planning out your week.
Is your life a lot of internalmeetings, a lot of external
events and if so, kind of whatdo they really look like?
What are you tasked withbringing to life?
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Absolutely.
I think a lot of my life isinternal.
I have a big responsibility ofoverseeing approximately 70
great employees and about six ofthem are direct reports, so I
have to be available.
I have the opportunity to workclosely with them in terms of
(03:38):
programming and policy, so Icome constantly in meetings with
the team to touch base on anygiven project, especially like
specifically.
Let me give you an example withthe Office for New Americans,
the.
That office has doneextraordinary work in the last
10 years, is the firststatutorily created immigration
(04:00):
office in the state and now theyhave many other offices
throughout the nation the Officefor the Americans, or ONA.
They have diverse programmingthat is aimed to help foster and
integrate new Americans in thestate of New York.
So a lot of the work that youknow you're seeing right now is
(04:21):
the legal services providingassistance legal assistance to
migrants and asylum seekers whoare seeking to either file for
TPS, file for an asylumapplications and so on.
But the office overall providea holistic approach, universal
approach to all the servicesthat the state is seeking to put
(04:41):
forward for new Americans.
So this is done through anetwork of community-based
organizations, nonprofits, andthe Department of State provides
the funding to the nonprofitsthrough a procurement process
for them to do meaningful work,whether it's providing legal
services to mental health, toworkforce development for
migrants.
So, with that being said, Imeet with the team regularly to
(05:04):
go over our programming, todevelop new programs, to ensure
that the programs are doing whatthey're intending to do.
That goes along the way to myother divisions as well, so it
takes a lot of meetings, a lotof reporting, briefing also
stakeholders not only within thestate, but also having constant
(05:25):
communications with ourgrantees as well.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
That makes sense.
And you know, sometimes, even asNew York State and New York
City residents, right like weforget that there are just so
many folks in the backgrounddoing the work that really keeps
the state and the city movingright, especially when you see
issues come up, right Like I'man immigrant myself, right?
So when you think about some ofthese programs that are being
implemented now, how do wesupport the current situation?
(05:48):
How do we humanize the peoplethat are coming through these
doors?
How do we make sure that theyhave the support needed?
Right, politics aside, like,let's humanize the thing and
then we can talk about politicsand programming and whether you
agree with the table, let's makesure that humans are taken care
of first and foremost.
And then your office, you know,the economic opportunity team
like, as you said, that's fourdifferent divisions that are
just out here making sure thatNew Yorkers are advancing and
(06:13):
have opportunities and are given, like, the fair chances and
fair, you know just, runway to,to advance economically, right,
so I just wholeheartedly, reallyI'm a fan of your team.
I think you all are doingremarkable work and you and I
have spoken about some of theother programs and I'm sure
we'll talk about some of thathere, Right.
But like it's, literally some ofthe programs that my mom has
(06:34):
taken advantage of right, likeprograms that have helped my
family directly, not like atheoretical thing but like
literally, programs that my momhas gone through her local
nonprofit to get rent assistanceor some advice or some support
through some programming, likethat's all, like they receive
funding from you all to do thattype of work right.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
and like my mom may never even know that she may
never know that you know thestate I didn't know the work
that I'm currently doing insupporting and, as I mentioned
and we talked about this throughthe Division of Community
Services the much neededessential assistance to
individuals.
It's pretty rewarding to see itfirsthand Like oh, this is what
(07:32):
community action agencies do.
They actually will help you outto pay your rent if you're
unable to meet thoserequirements.
And it's very rewarding to seehow I have gotten to this place.
And if you ask me a number ofyears from now if I thought that
this will be a possibility,it's really interesting how you
(07:54):
are sort of put into positionsthat you never thought you will
be in.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
With that in mind, what's your favorite part of
your role?
Speaker 1 (08:00):
My favorite part of the role, I think, seeing
retroactively, having theseconversations and seeing like
retrospectively, like how thecreation of one program has
impacted individuals.
Right, I was part of, you knowwith, with my team in the
Division of Community Services,we created a financial literacy
(08:21):
initiative and we began thoseconversations like a few months
after I joined the office.
It took time, maybe a year, toget the program off the ground
right and that was a lot offorethought and conversations
and conceptualizing what thisprogram was going to do.
To summarize it a little bit,it provides one-on-one
(08:43):
counseling to individuals whoare seeking to build financial
sustainability, so individualswho are taught how to save, how
to open up a bank account, howto build generational wealth.
That's really the key componentto what we were trying to do
with this program and it'sreally rewarding to see some of
(09:05):
the nonprofits report on thework and how they have helped
individuals directly, and I justlove to see it.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
I'm sure, with all of the things that you oversee,
right, what are some of thechallenging parts of the role
that you're like, oh man, thisis like, well, like what keeps
you up at night, or what do youknow is going to be a roadblock
when you walk in on Mondays, orwhat?
Speaker 1 (09:24):
do you know is going to be a roadblock when you walk
in on Mondays.
You know, with any importantrole there's always challenges.
I think it's the idea thateveryone, including the teams
and myself, we're all doing thebest that we can and, to the
extent that we hope, to createsolutions to ongoing problems is
something that we continue tostrive.
(09:45):
But sometimes you know it's notan overnight solution, right,
there's not an overnight senseof you know this will be fixed
within the next, like week ortwo.
You know it takes time todevelop these programs and to
see the results and it's alwaysthinking that, looking ahead and
seeing the impact that you cancreate over time.
(10:05):
But that's definitely somethingthat you know I think about
often how can we make the bestto effectuate as much change as
possible, given the resources orthe opportunities that we have?
Speaker 2 (10:17):
How'd you get into this role?
Speaker 1 (10:19):
How so?
It's a long story.
Should we go all the way back?
Speaker 2 (10:24):
The world is yours, let's do it.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
I started my career as a prosecutor, so I graduated
law school.
I knew that I wanted to dopublic interest, one day become
a prosecutor and maybe come fullcircle and work at the attorney
general's office.
Actually, I interned at theAG's office, the attorney
general's office, when I was 16years old in high school and
they hired me after high schooland I had the opportunity to
(10:48):
work with two amazing attorneysof color who were protecting and
serving communities, who weretaken advantage of right and I
saw some cases where you know itwas because sometimes these
were immigrants who lack thelanguage speaking skills, the
English speaking skills, andthey were taken advantage of
financially at times.
(11:08):
I saw their work, I wasinspired and I said maybe one
day I could come back fullcircle and do the kind of work
that they're doing at the AG'soffice.
So I went to the districtattorney's office in Brooklyn.
I tried street level crimes andgot the litigation experience
when I was able to join the AG'soffice in the Criminal
(11:30):
Enforcement and Financial CrimesBureau.
So at that point I wasprosecuting white collar crimes,
corporations and individualswho were engaging in practices
sometimes financial practicesthat would take advantage of
people, and I had theopportunity to be there while.
You know, during COVID, whichwas challenging, I saw a lot of
financial schemes.
I had the opportunity to work oncases involving, you know,
(11:54):
individuals who work at nailsalons and you know we're not
working under, you know, greatconditions and there was wage
theft happening and I came inwith the financial component of
maybe they didn't file theirsales taxes and that's, you know
, a way in which we can helpthese individuals in the large
scheme which we did and so on.
(12:15):
So I thought about what if Iwas, instead of prosecuting
financial crimes, what if I wasdoing financial empowerment,
what if there was a way for meto be able to help communities
and individuals who need sort ofyou know, maybe resources and
the tools to be able to educatethemselves, be financially savvy
(12:37):
and sort of decrease overallthe likelihood of someone
falling into these financialschemes.
So I began to have thoseconversations for many months
and I took advantage of manyprograms that were aimed to
empower individuals of color,but also, like you know, giving
you an idea of where to go next,like the Council of Urban
(13:00):
Professionals Cup, which was anamazing program to be part of.
Through those sort ofconversations I got the
opportunity to serve in thisrole.
But that's really what I wasthinking from going from the
AG's office doing financialcrimes to now being in this
position, and it has been anamazing transition that way.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Wow, so that makes a lot of sense.
So you know, I have a couple ofquestions there.
One how on earth do you get aninternship at 16, right, Like I
was working at the staff alreadyserving fries and burgers at
that age, right we're going allthe way back.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
I see.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Because you mentioned that you were interning there
at 16 and that threw me off.
I'm like 16 years old, you hadan opportunity to build
something towards your careerresume, right.
And then, also as a follow-onto that, did you intern at the
HG's office because you wereinterested in that type of world
or did you become interestedbecause you interned there?
Speaker 1 (13:54):
That's a great question.
What came first?
So we come from very similarbackground we spoke about.
You know I'm a Dominicanimmigrant.
I came to this country when Iwas 10, 11 years old and my
family settled in the Bronx.
I came here without speakingthe English language.
So for me, you know, that was abig transition.
I was someone in my nativecountry.
(14:17):
I always excelled academically,I always did well in school,
yeah, and then coming here andnot knowing the language, that
was absolutely challenging.
I would cry stress to my momlike saying how I, you know I
didn't understand any given likequick pop test or so on.
So I was always like trying tolook for opportunities to become
(14:40):
more engaged and striving toreally like integrate.
And you know I was always verypassionate and driven, I think
at an early age, due to all theresponsibilities that come along
with being first generationimmigrant.
So when you know thoseinternships, opportunities will
come around.
I was always one of the firstto apply and this was part of a,
(15:03):
you know, a very uniqueopportunity provided by
Congressman Serrano Jose Serranoat that time to place high
school students in governmentinternships to learn the ways of
government.
And no, I had no idea at thatpoint that that would be
something that you know willbecome my career later on.
So it was a very pleasantexperience.
(15:25):
I was one of four interns whointern at the AG's office and
again I became so absolutelyamazed by the work that the
office was doing to protectconsumers, to protect
individuals who were being takenadvantage of from financial
(15:45):
schemes, and I adored andadmired the two attorneys who
were working on those cases.
They have become my mentors forlife until this day.
We're very close.
They have written letters ofrecommendations for me for
college, for law school and soon.
So through working there I feltlike, hmm, maybe I can become
(16:06):
an attorney one day.
And I say that, you know, inthis manner because, again,
first generation immigrantcollege graduate in my family,
an attorney I didn't have anyoneto look to to think like, wow,
being an attorney is apossibility.
So it was really nice to seethat those examples and people
(16:27):
of color that I could one day,you know, do that kind of work.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Do you feel like going to law school has actually
paid off for you in your career?
Speaker 1 (16:38):
Great question Absolutely, absolutely, and I do
not hesitate to say this.
Because, well, absolutely, andI do not hesitate to say this
because, well, I took adifferent path and many
individuals can take whicheverpath, you know, speaks to them,
I knew that I wanted to dopublic interest.
So I, you know, I don't comefrom, I come from very humble
(16:59):
financial backgrounds, you know.
So for me, you know, I took allof those things into
consideration and I had verygood mentors who were really
giving me sound advice.
So, you know, I went to JohnJay and I was working part time
at the AG's office.
But John Jay was a great school.
They provided me with, you know, a lot of financial resources
(17:22):
and support from internships.
I interned with the city council, the assembly, and I was able
to work part-time at theattorney general's office, but
also with academic support.
I was part of pre-law programsthat would create a pipeline
into law school and I had greatmentors telling me if you want
(17:43):
to go to law school, you have tobe disciplined, you have to
become a very well-roundedapplicant, you know.
So my grades were somethingthat I could control, my
extracurricular activity weresomething that I could control,
and then I took that advice andI excelled in that, in that
setting.
And then I went to a school.
You know financials were aconsideration for me, so I went
(18:04):
to Wayne State Law School and Iwas lucky that they provided me
with a full scholarship, so thatreally helped me pursue my
passion, which was governmentand public interest.
So that made it easier comingout of law school and I say that
it was absolutely worth it togo to law school.
One, because I knew what Iwanted to do.
Two, given what I wanted to do,I was conscientious of where I
(18:29):
went to.
It had to be a good publicinterest school and I didn't
want to get into debt, so thatworked for me.
But law school overall is anamazing pathway to many
different professions.
Having a law degree can open thedoors to beyond just the
practice of law, and I see thatnow with the current position
(18:52):
that I'm in, but also with a lotof you know colleagues who are
doing amazing, interesting andimpactful work with a law degree
.
It opens the possibility tovery non-traditional roles, so I
think that it was absolutelyworth it.
For me, the mind of a lawyerand the skills that we learn in
law school and through ourprofession are so applicable to
(19:14):
so many different professions.
You never stop thinking like alawyer.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
Absolutely, and you know, I think that's one of the
things that I appreciate aboutconversations like this right,
you can be a lawyer and be inleadership positions in so many
other fields, like you don'thave to be in law, you don't
have to be in a courtroom.
But I just feel like when, atleast when I was younger I
didn't realize that.
So to me it's like if you'regonna get a law degree, you're
probably going to practice lawyour entire life, and to me that
(19:38):
didn't make sense for what Iwanted to do in my career, right
.
But you know, it seems like ifyou, just because you have your
JD, like as you said, it helpsyou with the way that you think,
with the way that you analyzeproblems with, and even just the
leaders that I've come acrossthere are a lot of leaders that
I've come across that have a JDand it all makes sense, right,
because those are folks that youprobably want to trust with a
(19:59):
lot of things.
But I just wouldn't have putthat together before.
So I appreciate hearing peoplethat you know have degrees and
use them in different ways.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
Absolutely.
And again, you know, there isnot only there is not one
specific path to follow, right,and although there are many
leaders with law degrees, Ithink that your background is
equally compelling, right.
But overall, you know, when Ispeak to a lot of aspiring law
(20:29):
students, I do share to bemindful of what you want to do
at the end of the day, becauseyou know also, the pitfalls is,
you know, sometimes it is saidthat, you know, law school is
very expensive and people don'twant to be in debt for the rest
of their lives.
So that is really aconsideration that I always
speak about with aspiring lawstudents, especially those who
(20:49):
you know share that they comefrom humble economic backgrounds
.
It's something that I kept inthe back of my mind and again,
if you know, nothing else is anobject, of course.
I continue to say that lawdegrees are so uniquely situated
to the skills that you learnare so applicable to so many
(21:10):
other professions.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
That makes sense.
Yeah, and I do appreciate thecaveat there right, because I
have a master's degree in publicadministration.
But I advocate that it'sdefinitely worth it for me.
But my situation was I got mostof it paid for.
So the way I invested was moretime right and less the
financial strain of having thedebt.
So you know, it is definitely apersonalized decision, but you
know, I just I do appreciatewhen people are get degrees and
(21:35):
use them in unique ways.
I think that part is is reallyreally interesting to see
throughout our careers.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
But look, you kind of figure out along the way what
you want to do.
Because, honestly speaking, Ithink the beauty about being an
evolving professional is thatyou know, with any career and I
will say this, with in law, youknow you can change your mind
and sort of explore differentpaths.
It's not guaranteed that youhave to practice, let's say,
(22:03):
criminal law for the rest ofyour life.
As long as you're developingthose skills that you know make
you versatile in differentsettings, you can kind of
navigate different spaces.
And that's the beauty aboutlike learning new things and
finding new jobs and differentpositions.
I think it will be very boringif you stop learning.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Can you speak a little bit about?
This is a.
This is the one question that Ido tend to ask folks.
I want people to know that theycan do good and do well.
You have a very importantposition.
You have a lot of impact thatcomes out of your office.
That to me, does not mean thatyou have to, especially when
you're attached to a governmentjob.
Right Like I want people toknow that they can actually make
(22:42):
a decent living while doingthis type of work, while doing
impactful work.
Can you give us a range of howmuch money folks in this level
of government can start, canenvision themselves making?
Speaker 1 (22:52):
It varies depending on where you are in your career,
right, if you're just startingout versus you know someone who
is more senior.
You know, to be honest, when Istarted out as an ADA, an
assistant district attorney, thepay was low.
But you also, you know,sometimes do that kind of work
for the experience and becauseyou love and are passionate
(23:16):
about what it is that you do.
So overall, in government, youhave to be passionate and love
what you do.
Any attorney can tell you thatif you go into the big little
corporate route, obviously youhave the potential to make a lot
more money.
But as you become more senior,you become more financially
stable and I think the pay iscomparable.
(23:37):
Obviously, if you're seeking tosort of get a better idea of
how much the pay is in any givenrole within government, there's
always the information isposted online and you can do
your research, but it has workedout for me.
Again, I am very passionateabout what it is that I do and I
always wanted to do publicinterest on profit.
So, I knew, going in, I was notgoing to be making law firm
(24:03):
salary, but that was somethingthat I already had in mind when
I got into this path.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
Absolutely.
And you know, I think we allchoose kind of what it is that
we want to have, the impact thatwe want to have in our careers,
right.
And then you know, I think, whenwe talk about, especially like
when we talk about things likesalary, like I think for me it's
more I appreciate specificallyNew York, right, like if you're
applying to jobs in New York,like you could at least get a
range of where you should be,and I just know that that's not
(24:29):
the case in every state.
So, definitely, if folks arelike considering going into
government, like definitely lookat different types of roles,
specifically if you're in NewYork and like compare kind of
what that looks like, just tomake sure that you land kind of
in a comparable place to yourpeers, because you know, it's
one thing if you're searchingfor a job here versus in
michigan that may not have thesame laws, right, that may not
(24:50):
have to give you some insight,um, but definitely use you know
I encourage folks to use thingslike glass door and just make
sure that you right, correct,you know where you're going to
land.
But you know, I do think thereare um some good, well-paying
government jobs that are likehigh in impact.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
You know, and that's what it is for me.
But other individuals take intoconsideration benefits, you
know.
You know I had friends who youknow were very conscientious of.
You know, let's say, maternityleave.
You know what kind of benefitshealthcare benefits individuals
get, and I think all of thosethings are important.
I'm ashamed to say that, youknow, it wasn't until like later
(25:29):
on in my career that I startedto sort of like look into sort
of like the pension andinvesting, now that I'm there at
all.
But I'm glad that you werehaving those conversations,
radhi, because it's so importantto have that financial talk.
Financial stability is veryimportant.
It's something that I feel verypassionate about and you know
(25:50):
that's why, you know, I workedalong with, you know, creating
the financial literacy programfor individuals who are trying
to build economic balance andsustainability and it is
important to have thoseconversations.
We have grown up to be ashamedof having the money talk right.
No one talks about money at thetable or you know.
But it is important to reallyhave those talks because if
(26:13):
money is important to you, thenyou have to sort of like figure
out a path forward.
If health insurance or anygiven benefits are important to
you, I don't think that anyoneshould be ashamed for seeking
that.
I think we should be activelytrying to build generational
wealth, if we can.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
Absolutely.
I love that.
I mean, you are the Office ofEconomic Opportunity for that.
You know that kind of tracks,so that makes sense.
Can you share with us otherways where you lend some of your
expertise and advice to others?
Right, like you are on a coupleof different boards, right, and
you do a lot of like this?
It seems to me like you're anactual public servant, like at
(26:51):
heart, right, when you're likenot just this is my job, but
also this is some other thingsthat I'm going to do outside of
work.
Can you speak a little bitabout some of those
opportunities and things thatyou do outside and why you do?
Speaker 1 (27:01):
those.
So right now I'm in a littlebit of a transition.
You cut me at a gap as of lastmonth, but I have been very
actively involved with manyorganizations that I have felt
passionate about and you know Itry to contribute to my career.
It is twofold, right.
I have a mentor who says thatif you're just doing your job or
you're just doing one job,you're not doing enough, for two
(27:26):
reasons, right.
One, you want to give back tothe community, yes, but also
it's very important, like yousaid, to lend your skills and
time to other causes becauseultimately, like, it should not
only be about the current jobthat you're doing.
You should be ambitioningyourself and looking into the
future and, in different spaces,put yourself in different
(27:48):
spaces for many reasons, but Ihave been very and, as you know,
I have gotten more seasoned inthe profession.
I have been very intentional ofthe organizations that I get
involved with and that Icontinue to support.
You know I have been involvedwith bar associations to support
law students and aspiring lawstudents because, as I mentioned
(28:14):
, I'm a first generation.
Everything and becoming anattorney was a desire, it was a
dream and I was, you know,privileged enough to to
accomplish that.
But I had a village behind meof mentors who who supported me,
so I feel very passionate aboutgiving back in that way.
That's why I was involved withthe Dominican Bar Association,
(28:36):
dominicanos al fin yay, and Iwas involved with the Hispanic
National Bar Association aschair of the Young Lawyers
Division and for a very longtime, five years as of last
month, I was involved with theLatino Justice Puerto Rico Legal
Defense Fund leader's board, ayoung professional board, and I
(28:56):
was the co-chair and I willcontinue to be involved.
Again, I have to be veryintentional and you know, given
I want to be able to allocatethe necessary time and resources
that I can to these causes andfor Latino justice.
I was very proud of the workthat the organization was doing.
Not only you know, latinojustice as an organization has
(29:17):
put forth some of the mostmeaningful civil rights cases to
protect Latino rights, toprotect voting rights.
They were the first ones tobring forth litigation for
bilingual education right thatbecame a right throughout the
country.
So very important organization.
But I was also very passionateabout their pipelines to create
(29:37):
education and opportunities forcollege students or aspiring
students who wanted to go to lawschool.
So I became involved with theeducation committee and
throughout you know my time withLatino justice, I've, you know,
made sure to share the sameinformation that I've been
sharing with you, because it'simportant that aspiring Latinos
(29:57):
hear from someone who looks likethem, who went through the path
and you know.
If they may see themselves in me, by all means.
But I always reinforce that youknow, my path is not everyone's
path and, again, you have to dowhat's best for you.
But it's so important to havethis organization that has an
outstanding network of Latinoattorneys in place to be able to
(30:22):
provide that inspiration andsupport that is needed.
So that's an example of anorganization and a mission that
I feel very passionate about andhas some very exciting projects
in the works.
But, again, you have to beintentional and have purpose in
whatever it is that you chooseto do.
Speaker 2 (30:39):
Absolutely.
And you know, I think sometimeswe tend to sell ourselves short
that we have so much more tooffer.
We tend to sell ourselves shortthat we have so much more to
offer.
I remember being younger in mycareer and being hesitant to
even think that I was worthyenough to try to get on a board
somewhere.
Right, I just happened to havegood mentors that they're like.
Right, what are you doing?
You should be on like at leastone board.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
Right.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
Yeah, and I'm like wait what?
And I'm like it took a littlewhile to realize oh, I'm
actually like gaining some skillsets and I actually have stuff
to contribute and I have aperspective of like like some of
the boards that I joined werelike my immediate community
center, like near me, like I amthe people that you serve and a
lot of the times like that's noteven that's not necessarily how
the board of that organizationlooks Me realizing that I
(31:23):
actually have that perspectiveand have more to offer just was
something that I had to overcome.
Right, and I love what you said, right.
Like sometimes some of thefolks that you're helping
through that are maybe they seethemselves in you, right, but
also you can help shape the waythat these organizations focus,
provide resources, fundingtowards programming, just by
your experiences.
And you know I definitelyencourage folks to to do that
(31:45):
and this is also a good way tocontinue to own your
professional brand.
Speaker 1 (31:49):
Absolutely.
And again, again, as Imentioned, it's twofold because
I have been in those spaces.
Yes, I, you know I'm there tosupport and volunteer my time
and engage.
I have benefited greatly frombeing in those spaces.
Where I volunteer, there issenior level board members who
(32:09):
have gone above and beyond tosupport me professionally and
whom I have learned so much fromand, you know, build long-term
mentorship relationship withthese individuals.
So when I told you that I have amentor who says that if you're
just doing one job and you'redoing your job, you're doing it
wrong, and it's really true,because that's how you sort of
(32:32):
facilitate what is seeing otherindividuals in different spaces
right Really gives you a visionof what else you could do,
what's next for you.
And one of the key advice thatI always give everyone is to be
flexible, adapt and becomfortable with being in spaces
that you think you might notbelong in, and that's really
(32:55):
important.
Be comfortable in being inspaces that you think you might
not belong in, Because, as I see, some of these mentors have
like very unconventional careers.
You know, I can see myselfmaybe potentially like one day,
like, oh, this is potentiallylike that's an option for me,
when I would have never thoughtthat way if I didn't go to this
(33:18):
conference.
For you know X, Y and Z Right.
I told you when we talked aboutpicking up golfing Right, Like I
never golfed before, like youknow, three, four years ago and
I started putting myself inthese spaces thanks to the
Hispanic CorporateResponsibility Association, ACIR
.
You know they do an empower hersummit, where they teach
(33:41):
professionals in the corporatespace or who wants to be in the
corporate space about.
You know how to golf in a verycomfortable setting where you
don't feel judged, let's say,because you never golfed in your
life.
And it's important to be partof those settings that you think
you might not belong in because, let's be honest, a lot of the
(34:02):
conversations happen in thosesettings and it's not
necessarily professionallyrelated, but it is connected.
That's one key advice that Igive.
Speaker 2 (34:11):
Absolutely.
I love that and, if you'relistening, this is your call to
action to go, put yourself in aposition to figure out how you
can get to a board andcontribute to a board, at the
very least a junior board.
Speaker 1 (34:24):
Obviously, you and I are sort of like in the same
space mid-level professionalsand it's so important to serve
in a junior board even beforeyou serve in the executive board
, right, like that's the goal,yes, but like that you can sort
of like get an idea of what itis that individuals in a real
board do.
Right, it's a lot ofresponsibilities and there is,
(34:47):
you know, there are requirementsthat have to be met and also
you're learning in where youmight find yourself to be the
best fit and where you can applyyour talents and give back.
But, yeah, junior boards arevery essential to your
development.
I believe in those.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
And all right.
My last bit on boards, justbecause it was another thought
that you just sparked.
There are a couple of barrierswhere people kind of stop at.
There are boards that requireyou to donate, there are boards
that require a give-get.
I think for, especially in theearlier part of my career, where
I mean I've always been me andI've always been vocal, but I
was also able to articulate thevalue that I bring to an
(35:24):
organization without money,without an annual contribution.
So I would say those are thethings holding you back.
These organizations are eagerto get young leaders that will
continue to be the pipeline forthe future of the organization.
And the way that I was able tocontribute was I was working in
city government.
This organization very much hadto work with city government
(35:47):
and had to leverage some of therelationships that I was able to
bring to the table.
And had to leverage some of therelationships that I was able
to bring to the table and had toleverage some of the expertise
and insight of working withgovernment that I could bring to
the table.
I was also able to articulatehey, I'm an immigrant, I don't
have parents that have money, Idon't have friends that are like
really advanced, like that,like I'm not really going to be
able to do this.
(36:07):
Give get thing every year.
I could try, but like if thatis a standard, then this is not
going to work out.
And folks were very clear withme like no, we think you bring a
lot more than just whateverthat looks like and it's
absolutely paid off for them inthe long run.
Speaker 1 (36:20):
Um, but it definitely merits a conversation and don't
let that be a deterrent um toyou contributing to work yeah, I
mean, the reality is, just,like you mentioned, that some
organizations do expect you tocontribute financially to
support the mission of theorganizations.
The reality is that nonprofitsdo need the funding in order to
do important work and Iabsolutely get that.
And, as you mentioned, you know, being in the government space,
(36:42):
we are limited in many waysfrom fundraising making
sometimes a meaningfulcontribution as opposed to our
private firm's counterparts.
But I had an amazing experiencebeing part of the Junior Board
of Latino Justice and, as youmentioned, my skill set was, you
(37:03):
know, providing them with thetime.
I was very passionate and eagerto dive into creating
programming.
Passionate and eager to diveinto creating programming.
I would put in a lot of thetime to volunteer and I was
co-chair at one point, right.
So my commitment to doing thework, I think, was not
(37:25):
questioned and that's what gotme become co-chair in a position
that otherwise, as we know, aremore suited for individuals who
are able to contributefinancially with the skill sets
(37:52):
that you have.
Because, also, you know, I havesome of the government
connections and I just I've beenvery intentional about keeping
and maintaining my network ofmentors who, you know, have
always been supportive oflending me a hand if I needed
speakers or I needed individualsto come and support the
organization.
But you can also personallycontribute right?
I always met my personalcommitment to the organization
(38:13):
and I will continue to do so.
That is important because nomatter how much money we make,
whether we will make enough youthink to, like you know, make a
big contribution.
I think you're building sort oflike the consistency and making
it a point that you're alwayssupporting something to the
level that you're able to do so.
So, no matter how big or smallthe contribution is, I think
(38:37):
it's important to stillfinancially support in some
capacity.
Speaker 2 (38:41):
Do you have any forms of media?
This could be books, podcasts,anything that you've read or
consumed that has just helpedyou personally or professionally
.
Speaker 1 (38:51):
Oh yes.
So as of recently, I notrecently I have followed the
Chronicles of Philanthropy,which I'm sure that you're very
familiar with, and I absolutelylove to follow and read because
philanthropy is something that Ifeel very passionate about, but
also it's meaningful to seewhere those connections are
(39:12):
being met in order to meet theneeds at the moment.
It's interesting to see what isbeing funded, what is the
priority for any givingorganization, what is the trend
in terms of, you know, support.
Like you know, it's just veryinteresting to sort of like read
from my perspective in thegovernment space to see, like,
(39:35):
what private funders are reallythinking about in terms of
priorities.
And it's also exciting to seeoccasionally you know I followed
the LinkedIn pages for a lot ofthese foundations to see what
kind of initiatives are outthere, what is in need of
funding and also like whatindividuals are doing to support
(39:59):
any given economic and socialissue at the time.
It gives you a good idea ofwhat is happening in the world.
So I stay connected through theChronicle of Philanthropy, but I
also, you know, I like tofollow a lot of LinkedIn pages.
I'm ashamed to say that I don'treally follow the news, so I
cannot help you there In termsof like live TV, I think in the
past right, that has reallystressed me back in the 2020,
(40:22):
2016 era.
So, like I kind of like justfollow the Washington Post, the
Wall Street Journal and likearticles such as the Chronicle.
Speaker 2 (40:31):
Is there anything else we have not discussed that
the world should know aboutZoyla?
Speaker 1 (40:35):
Look, thank you for the opportunity to have this
very honest conversation.
I, as I had told you in thepast, it takes courage to have
these open conversations withsomeone, so I'm glad that you
sort of like give, gave me the,the, the safe space to to have
them, and I think we should becomfortable having.
You know these conversationsabout financial investment,
(41:00):
talking about money, talkingabout you know, the pros and
cons of government space,whether a law degree is, you
know, needed, whether it wasworth it.
So thank you for having me andwhatever I can do to support the
audience that you're aiming to.
I am very passionate abouthaving conversations with people
(41:23):
of color, to empower people ofcolor, so thank you for having
me.
Speaker 2 (41:28):
I appreciate that.
You're an award-winning leaderin your field, so we are just
here to have a conversation andlearn, so that others can
hopefully follow in thefootsteps and take bits and
pieces of your story and applyit to their path.
So thank you.
Speaker 1 (41:42):
You're very kind.
Thank you for everything thatyou do, daddy.
Of course I appreciate you.
Speaker 3 (41:46):
I hope you enjoyed this episode.
If you did and believe on themission we're on, please like,
rate and subscribe to thispodcast on whatever platform
you're using, and share thispodcast with your friends and
your networks.
Make sure you follow us onInstagram and LinkedIn at Career
Cheat Code and tell us peopleor careers you would like to see
highlighted.
See you next week with somemore cheat codes.
Peace.
help communities and individuals who need sort of you
know, maybe resources and thetools to be able to educate
themselves, be financially savvyand sort of decrease overall
the likelihoods of someonefalling into these financial
schemes.
So I began to have thoseconversations for many months
(00:22):
and I took advantage of manyprograms that were aimed to
empower individuals of color,but also, like you know, giving
you an idea of where to go next,like the Council of Urban
Professionals Cup, which was anamazing program to be part of.
Through those sort ofconversations I got the
opportunity to serve in thisrole.
(00:44):
But that's really what I wasthinking from going from the
AG's office doing financialcrimes to now being in this
position, and it has been anamazing transition that way.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Welcome to Career Cheat Code.
In this podcast, you'll hearhow everyday people impact the
world through their careers.
Learn about their journey,career hacks and obstacles along
the way.
Whether you're already havingthe impact you want or are
searching for it, this is thepodcast for you.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
All right, soyla, welcome to the show.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
Thank you, Ravi.
Thank you for the invitation.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Of course, I'm excited to talk to you today and
learn all about your career andyour path.
Let's jump right in there.
Let's tell the world what it isyou do for a living.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Well, thank you for the invitation, paddy.
As you know, I currently serveas Deputy Secretary of State for
Economic Opportunity at theDepartment of State for Governor
Hochul and in this position, Ihave the privilege to manage and
oversee four state divisions.
That includes the Office for NewAmericans, the Division of
Consumer Protection, theDivision of Community Services
and the Office of AdministrativeHearings so very diverse in
terms of scope, but one keycomponent is that, you know, the
(01:56):
goal is to empower andfinancially empower individuals.
Specifically, you know, with thework that we do with the Office
for New Americans and theDivision of Community Services
With respect to consumerprotection, that is something
that I have, you know, quite abit of experience with with my
time at the Attorney General'sOffice, on and off, and the goal
(02:17):
is really to educate andprotect consumers, something
that I feel very passionateabout.
And overall, you know, alsowith the Office of
Administrative Hearings, theDepartment of State licenses 49
professions, from nail salons tobarbershops, and the
administrative judges heardisciplinary cases where
disciplinary action is required.
(02:38):
And you know, you and I knowhow important, you know, our
licenses and making a living is,so we take that job very
seriously and all of thatcombined, it's really looking at
four different state divisionsthat do really important work
and that touch people's life, soI'm very privileged to be in
this role.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
That's awesome.
So let's dig deeper.
So tell me more about like whatdoes your day look like when
you walk in on a Monday?
Right, you walk in on a Monday,you're planning out your week.
Is your life a lot of internalmeetings, a lot of external
events and if so, kind of whatdo they really look like?
What are you tasked withbringing to life?
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Absolutely.
I think a lot of my life isinternal.
I have a big responsibility ofoverseeing approximately 70
great employees and about six ofthem are direct reports, so I
have to be available.
I have the opportunity to workclosely with them in terms of
(03:38):
programming and policy, so Icome constantly in meetings with
the team to touch base on anygiven project, especially like
specifically.
Let me give you an example withthe Office for New Americans,
the.
That office has doneextraordinary work in the last
10 years, is the firststatutorily created immigration
(04:00):
office in the state and now theyhave many other offices
throughout the nation the Officefor the Americans, or ONA.
They have diverse programmingthat is aimed to help foster and
integrate new Americans in thestate of New York.
So a lot of the work that youknow you're seeing right now is
(04:21):
the legal services providingassistance legal assistance to
migrants and asylum seekers whoare seeking to either file for
TPS, file for an asylumapplications and so on.
But the office overall providea holistic approach, universal
approach to all the servicesthat the state is seeking to put
(04:41):
forward for new Americans.
So this is done through anetwork of community-based
organizations, nonprofits, andthe Department of State provides
the funding to the nonprofitsthrough a procurement process
for them to do meaningful work,whether it's providing legal
services to mental health, toworkforce development for
migrants.
So, with that being said, Imeet with the team regularly to
(05:04):
go over our programming, todevelop new programs, to ensure
that the programs are doing whatthey're intending to do.
That goes along the way to myother divisions as well, so it
takes a lot of meetings, a lotof reporting, briefing also
stakeholders not only within thestate, but also having constant
(05:25):
communications with ourgrantees as well.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
That makes sense.
And you know, sometimes, even asNew York State and New York
City residents, right like weforget that there are just so
many folks in the backgrounddoing the work that really keeps
the state and the city movingright, especially when you see
issues come up, right Like I'man immigrant myself, right?
So when you think about some ofthese programs that are being
implemented now, how do wesupport the current situation?
(05:48):
How do we humanize the peoplethat are coming through these
doors?
How do we make sure that theyhave the support needed?
Right, politics aside, like,let's humanize the thing and
then we can talk about politicsand programming and whether you
agree with the table, let's makesure that humans are taken care
of first and foremost.
And then your office, you know,the economic opportunity team
like, as you said, that's fourdifferent divisions that are
just out here making sure thatNew Yorkers are advancing and
(06:13):
have opportunities and are given, like, the fair chances and
fair, you know just, runway to,to advance economically, right,
so I just wholeheartedly, reallyI'm a fan of your team.
I think you all are doingremarkable work and you and I
have spoken about some of theother programs and I'm sure
we'll talk about some of thathere, Right.
But like it's, literally some ofthe programs that my mom has
(06:34):
taken advantage of right, likeprograms that have helped my
family directly, not like atheoretical thing but like
literally, programs that my momhas gone through her local
nonprofit to get rent assistanceor some advice or some support
through some programming, likethat's all, like they receive
funding from you all to do thattype of work right.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
and like my mom may never even know that she may
never know that you know thestate I didn't know the work
that I'm currently doing insupporting and, as I mentioned
and we talked about this throughthe Division of Community
Services the much neededessential assistance to
individuals.
It's pretty rewarding to see itfirsthand Like oh, this is what
(07:32):
community action agencies do.
They actually will help you outto pay your rent if you're
unable to meet thoserequirements.
And it's very rewarding to seehow I have gotten to this place.
And if you ask me a number ofyears from now if I thought that
this will be a possibility,it's really interesting how you
(07:54):
are sort of put into positionsthat you never thought you will
be in.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
With that in mind, what's your favorite part of
your role?
Speaker 1 (08:00):
My favorite part of the role, I think, seeing
retroactively, having theseconversations and seeing like
retrospectively, like how thecreation of one program has
impacted individuals.
Right, I was part of, you knowwith, with my team in the
Division of Community Services,we created a financial literacy
(08:21):
initiative and we began thoseconversations like a few months
after I joined the office.
It took time, maybe a year, toget the program off the ground
right and that was a lot offorethought and conversations
and conceptualizing what thisprogram was going to do.
To summarize it a little bit,it provides one-on-one
(08:43):
counseling to individuals whoare seeking to build financial
sustainability, so individualswho are taught how to save, how
to open up a bank account, howto build generational wealth.
That's really the key componentto what we were trying to do
with this program and it'sreally rewarding to see some of
(09:05):
the nonprofits report on thework and how they have helped
individuals directly, and I justlove to see it.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
I'm sure, with all of the things that you oversee,
right, what are some of thechallenging parts of the role
that you're like, oh man, thisis like, well, like what keeps
you up at night, or what do youknow is going to be a roadblock
when you walk in on Mondays, orwhat?
Speaker 1 (09:24):
do you know is going to be a roadblock when you walk
in on Mondays.
You know, with any importantrole there's always challenges.
I think it's the idea thateveryone, including the teams
and myself, we're all doing thebest that we can and, to the
extent that we hope, to createsolutions to ongoing problems is
something that we continue tostrive.
(09:45):
But sometimes you know it's notan overnight solution, right,
there's not an overnight senseof you know this will be fixed
within the next, like week ortwo.
You know it takes time todevelop these programs and to
see the results and it's alwaysthinking that, looking ahead and
seeing the impact that you cancreate over time.
(10:05):
But that's definitely somethingthat you know I think about
often how can we make the bestto effectuate as much change as
possible, given the resources orthe opportunities that we have?
Speaker 2 (10:17):
How'd you get into this role?
Speaker 1 (10:19):
How so?
It's a long story.
Should we go all the way back?
Speaker 2 (10:24):
The world is yours, let's do it.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
I started my career as a prosecutor, so I graduated
law school.
I knew that I wanted to dopublic interest, one day become
a prosecutor and maybe come fullcircle and work at the attorney
general's office.
Actually, I interned at theAG's office, the attorney
general's office, when I was 16years old in high school and
they hired me after high schooland I had the opportunity to
(10:48):
work with two amazing attorneysof color who were protecting and
serving communities, who weretaken advantage of right and I
saw some cases where you know itwas because sometimes these
were immigrants who lack thelanguage speaking skills, the
English speaking skills, andthey were taken advantage of
financially at times.
(11:08):
I saw their work, I wasinspired and I said maybe one
day I could come back fullcircle and do the kind of work
that they're doing at the AG'soffice.
So I went to the districtattorney's office in Brooklyn.
I tried street level crimes andgot the litigation experience
when I was able to join the AG'soffice in the Criminal
(11:30):
Enforcement and Financial CrimesBureau.
So at that point I wasprosecuting white collar crimes,
corporations and individualswho were engaging in practices
sometimes financial practicesthat would take advantage of
people, and I had theopportunity to be there while.
You know, during COVID, whichwas challenging, I saw a lot of
financial schemes.
I had the opportunity to work oncases involving, you know,
(11:54):
individuals who work at nailsalons and you know we're not
working under, you know, greatconditions and there was wage
theft happening and I came inwith the financial component of
maybe they didn't file theirsales taxes and that's, you know
, a way in which we can helpthese individuals in the large
scheme which we did and so on.
(12:15):
So I thought about what if Iwas, instead of prosecuting
financial crimes, what if I wasdoing financial empowerment,
what if there was a way for meto be able to help communities
and individuals who need sort ofyou know, maybe resources and
the tools to be able to educatethemselves, be financially savvy
(12:37):
and sort of decrease overallthe likelihood of someone
falling into these financialschemes.
So I began to have thoseconversations for many months
and I took advantage of manyprograms that were aimed to
empower individuals of color,but also, like you know, giving
you an idea of where to go next,like the Council of Urban
(13:00):
Professionals Cup, which was anamazing program to be part of.
Through those sort ofconversations I got the
opportunity to serve in thisrole.
But that's really what I wasthinking from going from the
AG's office doing financialcrimes to now being in this
position, and it has been anamazing transition that way.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Wow, so that makes a lot of sense.
So you know, I have a couple ofquestions there.
One how on earth do you get aninternship at 16, right, Like I
was working at the staff alreadyserving fries and burgers at
that age, right we're going allthe way back.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
I see.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Because you mentioned that you were interning there
at 16 and that threw me off.
I'm like 16 years old, you hadan opportunity to build
something towards your careerresume, right.
And then, also as a follow-onto that, did you intern at the
HG's office because you wereinterested in that type of world
or did you become interestedbecause you interned there?
Speaker 1 (13:54):
That's a great question.
What came first?
So we come from very similarbackground we spoke about.
You know I'm a Dominicanimmigrant.
I came to this country when Iwas 10, 11 years old and my
family settled in the Bronx.
I came here without speakingthe English language.
So for me, you know, that was abig transition.
I was someone in my nativecountry.
(14:17):
I always excelled academically,I always did well in school,
yeah, and then coming here andnot knowing the language, that
was absolutely challenging.
I would cry stress to my momlike saying how I, you know I
didn't understand any given likequick pop test or so on.
So I was always like trying tolook for opportunities to become
(14:40):
more engaged and striving toreally like integrate.
And you know I was always verypassionate and driven, I think
at an early age, due to all theresponsibilities that come along
with being first generationimmigrant.
So when you know thoseinternships, opportunities will
come around.
I was always one of the firstto apply and this was part of a,
(15:03):
you know, a very uniqueopportunity provided by
Congressman Serrano Jose Serranoat that time to place high
school students in governmentinternships to learn the ways of
government.
And no, I had no idea at thatpoint that that would be
something that you know willbecome my career later on.
So it was a very pleasantexperience.
(15:25):
I was one of four interns whointern at the AG's office and
again I became so absolutelyamazed by the work that the
office was doing to protectconsumers, to protect
individuals who were being takenadvantage of from financial
(15:45):
schemes, and I adored andadmired the two attorneys who
were working on those cases.
They have become my mentors forlife until this day.
We're very close.
They have written letters ofrecommendations for me for
college, for law school and soon.
So through working there I feltlike, hmm, maybe I can become
(16:06):
an attorney one day.
And I say that, you know, inthis manner because, again,
first generation immigrantcollege graduate in my family,
an attorney I didn't have anyoneto look to to think like, wow,
being an attorney is apossibility.
So it was really nice to seethat those examples and people
(16:27):
of color that I could one day,you know, do that kind of work.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Do you feel like going to law school has actually
paid off for you in your career?
Speaker 1 (16:38):
Great question Absolutely, absolutely, and I do
not hesitate to say this.
Because, well, absolutely, andI do not hesitate to say this
because, well, I took adifferent path and many
individuals can take whicheverpath, you know, speaks to them,
I knew that I wanted to dopublic interest.
So I, you know, I don't comefrom, I come from very humble
(16:59):
financial backgrounds, you know.
So for me, you know, I took allof those things into
consideration and I had verygood mentors who were really
giving me sound advice.
So, you know, I went to JohnJay and I was working part time
at the AG's office.
But John Jay was a great school.
They provided me with, you know, a lot of financial resources
(17:22):
and support from internships.
I interned with the city council, the assembly, and I was able
to work part-time at theattorney general's office, but
also with academic support.
I was part of pre-law programsthat would create a pipeline
into law school and I had greatmentors telling me if you want
(17:43):
to go to law school, you have tobe disciplined, you have to
become a very well-roundedapplicant, you know.
So my grades were somethingthat I could control, my
extracurricular activity weresomething that I could control,
and then I took that advice andI excelled in that, in that
setting.
And then I went to a school.
You know financials were aconsideration for me, so I went
(18:04):
to Wayne State Law School and Iwas lucky that they provided me
with a full scholarship, so thatreally helped me pursue my
passion, which was governmentand public interest.
So that made it easier comingout of law school and I say that
it was absolutely worth it togo to law school.
One, because I knew what Iwanted to do.
Two, given what I wanted to do,I was conscientious of where I
(18:29):
went to.
It had to be a good publicinterest school and I didn't
want to get into debt, so thatworked for me.
But law school overall is anamazing pathway to many
different professions.
Having a law degree can open thedoors to beyond just the
practice of law, and I see thatnow with the current position
(18:52):
that I'm in, but also with a lotof you know colleagues who are
doing amazing, interesting andimpactful work with a law degree
.
It opens the possibility tovery non-traditional roles, so I
think that it was absolutelyworth it.
For me, the mind of a lawyerand the skills that we learn in
law school and through ourprofession are so applicable to
(19:14):
so many different professions.
You never stop thinking like alawyer.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
Absolutely, and you know, I think that's one of the
things that I appreciate aboutconversations like this right,
you can be a lawyer and be inleadership positions in so many
other fields, like you don'thave to be in law, you don't
have to be in a courtroom.
But I just feel like when, atleast when I was younger I
didn't realize that.
So to me it's like if you'regonna get a law degree, you're
probably going to practice lawyour entire life, and to me that
(19:38):
didn't make sense for what Iwanted to do in my career, right
.
But you know, it seems like ifyou, just because you have your
JD, like as you said, it helpsyou with the way that you think,
with the way that you analyzeproblems with, and even just the
leaders that I've come acrossthere are a lot of leaders that
I've come across that have a JDand it all makes sense, right,
because those are folks that youprobably want to trust with a
(19:59):
lot of things.
But I just wouldn't have putthat together before.
So I appreciate hearing peoplethat you know have degrees and
use them in different ways.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
Absolutely.
And again, you know, there isnot only there is not one
specific path to follow, right,and although there are many
leaders with law degrees, Ithink that your background is
equally compelling, right.
But overall, you know, when Ispeak to a lot of aspiring law
(20:29):
students, I do share to bemindful of what you want to do
at the end of the day, becauseyou know also, the pitfalls is,
you know, sometimes it is saidthat, you know, law school is
very expensive and people don'twant to be in debt for the rest
of their lives.
So that is really aconsideration that I always
speak about with aspiring lawstudents, especially those who
(20:49):
you know share that they comefrom humble economic backgrounds
.
It's something that I kept inthe back of my mind and again,
if you know, nothing else is anobject, of course.
I continue to say that lawdegrees are so uniquely situated
to the skills that you learnare so applicable to so many
(21:10):
other professions.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
That makes sense.
Yeah, and I do appreciate thecaveat there right, because I
have a master's degree in publicadministration.
But I advocate that it'sdefinitely worth it for me.
But my situation was I got mostof it paid for.
So the way I invested was moretime right and less the
financial strain of having thedebt.
So you know, it is definitely apersonalized decision, but you
know, I just I do appreciatewhen people are get degrees and
(21:35):
use them in unique ways.
I think that part is is reallyreally interesting to see
throughout our careers.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
But look, you kind of figure out along the way what
you want to do.
Because, honestly speaking, Ithink the beauty about being an
evolving professional is thatyou know, with any career and I
will say this, with in law, youknow you can change your mind
and sort of explore differentpaths.
It's not guaranteed that youhave to practice, let's say,
(22:03):
criminal law for the rest ofyour life.
As long as you're developingthose skills that you know make
you versatile in differentsettings, you can kind of
navigate different spaces.
And that's the beauty aboutlike learning new things and
finding new jobs and differentpositions.
I think it will be very boringif you stop learning.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Can you speak a little bit about?
This is a.
This is the one question that Ido tend to ask folks.
I want people to know that theycan do good and do well.
You have a very importantposition.
You have a lot of impact thatcomes out of your office.
That to me, does not mean thatyou have to, especially when
you're attached to a governmentjob.
Right Like I want people toknow that they can actually make
(22:42):
a decent living while doingthis type of work, while doing
impactful work.
Can you give us a range of howmuch money folks in this level
of government can start, canenvision themselves making?
Speaker 1 (22:52):
It varies depending on where you are in your career,
right, if you're just startingout versus you know someone who
is more senior.
You know, to be honest, when Istarted out as an ADA, an
assistant district attorney, thepay was low.
But you also, you know,sometimes do that kind of work
for the experience and becauseyou love and are passionate
(23:16):
about what it is that you do.
So overall, in government, youhave to be passionate and love
what you do.
Any attorney can tell you thatif you go into the big little
corporate route, obviously youhave the potential to make a lot
more money.
But as you become more senior,you become more financially
stable and I think the pay iscomparable.
(23:37):
Obviously, if you're seeking tosort of get a better idea of
how much the pay is in any givenrole within government, there's
always the information isposted online and you can do
your research, but it has workedout for me.
Again, I am very passionateabout what it is that I do and I
always wanted to do publicinterest on profit.
So, I knew, going in, I was notgoing to be making law firm
(24:03):
salary, but that was somethingthat I already had in mind when
I got into this path.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
Absolutely.
And you know, I think we allchoose kind of what it is that
we want to have, the impact thatwe want to have in our careers,
right.
And then you know, I think, whenwe talk about, especially like
when we talk about things likesalary, like I think for me it's
more I appreciate specificallyNew York, right, like if you're
applying to jobs in New York,like you could at least get a
range of where you should be,and I just know that that's not
(24:29):
the case in every state.
So, definitely, if folks arelike considering going into
government, like definitely lookat different types of roles,
specifically if you're in NewYork and like compare kind of
what that looks like, just tomake sure that you land kind of
in a comparable place to yourpeers, because you know, it's
one thing if you're searchingfor a job here versus in
michigan that may not have thesame laws, right, that may not
(24:50):
have to give you some insight,um, but definitely use you know
I encourage folks to use thingslike glass door and just make
sure that you right, correct,you know where you're going to
land.
But you know, I do think thereare um some good, well-paying
government jobs that are likehigh in impact.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
You know, and that's what it is for me.
But other individuals take intoconsideration benefits, you
know.
You know I had friends who youknow were very conscientious of.
You know, let's say, maternityleave.
You know what kind of benefitshealthcare benefits individuals
get, and I think all of thosethings are important.
I'm ashamed to say that, youknow, it wasn't until like later
(25:29):
on in my career that I startedto sort of like look into sort
of like the pension andinvesting, now that I'm there at
all.
But I'm glad that you werehaving those conversations,
radhi, because it's so importantto have that financial talk.
Financial stability is veryimportant.
It's something that I feel verypassionate about and you know
(25:50):
that's why, you know, I workedalong with, you know, creating
the financial literacy programfor individuals who are trying
to build economic balance andsustainability and it is
important to have thoseconversations.
We have grown up to be ashamedof having the money talk right.
No one talks about money at thetable or you know.
But it is important to reallyhave those talks because if
(26:13):
money is important to you, thenyou have to sort of like figure
out a path forward.
If health insurance or anygiven benefits are important to
you, I don't think that anyoneshould be ashamed for seeking
that.
I think we should be activelytrying to build generational
wealth, if we can.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
Absolutely.
I love that.
I mean, you are the Office ofEconomic Opportunity for that.
You know that kind of tracks,so that makes sense.
Can you share with us otherways where you lend some of your
expertise and advice to others?
Right, like you are on a coupleof different boards, right, and
you do a lot of like this?
It seems to me like you're anactual public servant, like at
(26:51):
heart, right, when you're likenot just this is my job, but
also this is some other thingsthat I'm going to do outside of
work.
Can you speak a little bitabout some of those
opportunities and things thatyou do outside and why you do?
Speaker 1 (27:01):
those.
So right now I'm in a littlebit of a transition.
You cut me at a gap as of lastmonth, but I have been very
actively involved with manyorganizations that I have felt
passionate about and you know Itry to contribute to my career.
It is twofold, right.
I have a mentor who says thatif you're just doing your job or
you're just doing one job,you're not doing enough, for two
(27:26):
reasons, right.
One, you want to give back tothe community, yes, but also
it's very important, like yousaid, to lend your skills and
time to other causes becauseultimately, like, it should not
only be about the current jobthat you're doing.
You should be ambitioningyourself and looking into the
future and, in different spaces,put yourself in different
(27:48):
spaces for many reasons, but Ihave been very and, as you know,
I have gotten more seasoned inthe profession.
I have been very intentional ofthe organizations that I get
involved with and that Icontinue to support.
You know I have been involvedwith bar associations to support
law students and aspiring lawstudents because, as I mentioned
(28:14):
, I'm a first generation.
Everything and becoming anattorney was a desire, it was a
dream and I was, you know,privileged enough to to
accomplish that.
But I had a village behind meof mentors who who supported me,
so I feel very passionate aboutgiving back in that way.
That's why I was involved withthe Dominican Bar Association,
(28:36):
dominicanos al fin yay, and Iwas involved with the Hispanic
National Bar Association aschair of the Young Lawyers
Division and for a very longtime, five years as of last
month, I was involved with theLatino Justice Puerto Rico Legal
Defense Fund leader's board, ayoung professional board, and I
(28:56):
was the co-chair and I willcontinue to be involved.
Again, I have to be veryintentional and you know, given
I want to be able to allocatethe necessary time and resources
that I can to these causes andfor Latino justice.
I was very proud of the workthat the organization was doing.
Not only you know, latinojustice as an organization has
(29:17):
put forth some of the mostmeaningful civil rights cases to
protect Latino rights, toprotect voting rights.
They were the first ones tobring forth litigation for
bilingual education right thatbecame a right throughout the
country.
So very important organization.
But I was also very passionateabout their pipelines to create
(29:37):
education and opportunities forcollege students or aspiring
students who wanted to go to lawschool.
So I became involved with theeducation committee and
throughout you know my time withLatino justice, I've, you know,
made sure to share the sameinformation that I've been
sharing with you, because it'simportant that aspiring Latinos
(29:57):
hear from someone who looks likethem, who went through the path
and you know.
If they may see themselves in me, by all means.
But I always reinforce that youknow, my path is not everyone's
path and, again, you have to dowhat's best for you.
But it's so important to havethis organization that has an
outstanding network of Latinoattorneys in place to be able to
(30:22):
provide that inspiration andsupport that is needed.
So that's an example of anorganization and a mission that
I feel very passionate about andhas some very exciting projects
in the works.
But, again, you have to beintentional and have purpose in
whatever it is that you chooseto do.
Speaker 2 (30:39):
Absolutely.
And you know, I think sometimeswe tend to sell ourselves short
that we have so much more tooffer.
We tend to sell ourselves shortthat we have so much more to
offer.
I remember being younger in mycareer and being hesitant to
even think that I was worthyenough to try to get on a board
somewhere.
Right, I just happened to havegood mentors that they're like.
Right, what are you doing?
You should be on like at leastone board.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
Right.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
Yeah, and I'm like wait what?
And I'm like it took a littlewhile to realize oh, I'm
actually like gaining some skillsets and I actually have stuff
to contribute and I have aperspective of like like some of
the boards that I joined werelike my immediate community
center, like near me, like I amthe people that you serve and a
lot of the times like that's noteven that's not necessarily how
the board of that organizationlooks Me realizing that I
(31:23):
actually have that perspectiveand have more to offer just was
something that I had to overcome.
Right, and I love what you said, right.
Like sometimes some of thefolks that you're helping
through that are maybe they seethemselves in you, right, but
also you can help shape the waythat these organizations focus,
provide resources, fundingtowards programming, just by
your experiences.
And you know I definitelyencourage folks to to do that
(31:45):
and this is also a good way tocontinue to own your
professional brand.
Speaker 1 (31:49):
Absolutely.
And again, again, as Imentioned, it's twofold because
I have been in those spaces.
Yes, I, you know I'm there tosupport and volunteer my time
and engage.
I have benefited greatly frombeing in those spaces.
Where I volunteer, there issenior level board members who
(32:09):
have gone above and beyond tosupport me professionally and
whom I have learned so much fromand, you know, build long-term
mentorship relationship withthese individuals.
So when I told you that I have amentor who says that if you're
just doing one job and you'redoing your job, you're doing it
wrong, and it's really true,because that's how you sort of
(32:32):
facilitate what is seeing otherindividuals in different spaces
right Really gives you a visionof what else you could do,
what's next for you.
And one of the key advice thatI always give everyone is to be
flexible, adapt and becomfortable with being in spaces
that you think you might notbelong in, and that's really
(32:55):
important.
Be comfortable in being inspaces that you think you might
not belong in, Because, as I see, some of these mentors have
like very unconventional careers.
You know, I can see myselfmaybe potentially like one day,
like, oh, this is potentiallylike that's an option for me,
when I would have never thoughtthat way if I didn't go to this
(33:18):
conference.
For you know X, Y and Z Right.
I told you when we talked aboutpicking up golfing Right, Like I
never golfed before, like youknow, three, four years ago and
I started putting myself inthese spaces thanks to the
Hispanic CorporateResponsibility Association, ACIR
.
You know they do an empower hersummit, where they teach
(33:41):
professionals in the corporatespace or who wants to be in the
corporate space about.
You know how to golf in a verycomfortable setting where you
don't feel judged, let's say,because you never golfed in your
life.
And it's important to be partof those settings that you think
you might not belong in because, let's be honest, a lot of the
(34:02):
conversations happen in thosesettings and it's not
necessarily professionallyrelated, but it is connected.
That's one key advice that Igive.
Speaker 2 (34:11):
Absolutely.
I love that and, if you'relistening, this is your call to
action to go, put yourself in aposition to figure out how you
can get to a board andcontribute to a board, at the
very least a junior board.
Speaker 1 (34:24):
Obviously, you and I are sort of like in the same
space mid-level professionalsand it's so important to serve
in a junior board even beforeyou serve in the executive board
, right, like that's the goal,yes, but like that you can sort
of like get an idea of what itis that individuals in a real
board do.
Right, it's a lot ofresponsibilities and there is,
(34:47):
you know, there are requirementsthat have to be met and also
you're learning in where youmight find yourself to be the
best fit and where you can applyyour talents and give back.
But, yeah, junior boards arevery essential to your
development.
I believe in those.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
And all right.
My last bit on boards, justbecause it was another thought
that you just sparked.
There are a couple of barrierswhere people kind of stop at.
There are boards that requireyou to donate, there are boards
that require a give-get.
I think for, especially in theearlier part of my career, where
I mean I've always been me andI've always been vocal, but I
was also able to articulate thevalue that I bring to an
(35:24):
organization without money,without an annual contribution.
So I would say those are thethings holding you back.
These organizations are eagerto get young leaders that will
continue to be the pipeline forthe future of the organization.
And the way that I was able tocontribute was I was working in
city government.
This organization very much hadto work with city government
(35:47):
and had to leverage some of therelationships that I was able to
bring to the table.
And had to leverage some of therelationships that I was able
to bring to the table and had toleverage some of the expertise
and insight of working withgovernment that I could bring to
the table.
I was also able to articulatehey, I'm an immigrant, I don't
have parents that have money, Idon't have friends that are like
really advanced, like that,like I'm not really going to be
able to do this.
(36:07):
Give get thing every year.
I could try, but like if thatis a standard, then this is not
going to work out.
And folks were very clear withme like no, we think you bring a
lot more than just whateverthat looks like and it's
absolutely paid off for them inthe long run.
Speaker 1 (36:20):
Um, but it definitely merits a conversation and don't
let that be a deterrent um toyou contributing to work yeah, I
mean, the reality is, just,like you mentioned, that some
organizations do expect you tocontribute financially to
support the mission of theorganizations.
The reality is that nonprofitsdo need the funding in order to
do important work and Iabsolutely get that.
And, as you mentioned, you know, being in the government space,
(36:42):
we are limited in many waysfrom fundraising making
sometimes a meaningfulcontribution as opposed to our
private firm's counterparts.
But I had an amazing experiencebeing part of the Junior Board
of Latino Justice and, as youmentioned, my skill set was, you
(37:03):
know, providing them with thetime.
I was very passionate and eagerto dive into creating
programming.
Passionate and eager to diveinto creating programming.
I would put in a lot of thetime to volunteer and I was
co-chair at one point, right.
So my commitment to doing thework, I think, was not
(37:25):
questioned and that's what gotme become co-chair in a position
that otherwise, as we know, aremore suited for individuals who
are able to contributefinancially with the skill sets
(37:52):
that you have.
Because, also, you know, I havesome of the government
connections and I just I've beenvery intentional about keeping
and maintaining my network ofmentors who, you know, have
always been supportive oflending me a hand if I needed
speakers or I needed individualsto come and support the
organization.
But you can also personallycontribute right?
I always met my personalcommitment to the organization
(38:13):
and I will continue to do so.
That is important because nomatter how much money we make,
whether we will make enough youthink to, like you know, make a
big contribution.
I think you're building sort oflike the consistency and making
it a point that you're alwayssupporting something to the
level that you're able to do so.
So, no matter how big or smallthe contribution is, I think
(38:37):
it's important to stillfinancially support in some
capacity.
Speaker 2 (38:41):
Do you have any forms of media?
This could be books, podcasts,anything that you've read or
consumed that has just helpedyou personally or professionally
.
Speaker 1 (38:51):
Oh yes.
So as of recently, I notrecently I have followed the
Chronicles of Philanthropy,which I'm sure that you're very
familiar with, and I absolutelylove to follow and read because
philanthropy is something that Ifeel very passionate about, but
also it's meaningful to seewhere those connections are
(39:12):
being met in order to meet theneeds at the moment.
It's interesting to see what isbeing funded, what is the
priority for any givingorganization, what is the trend
in terms of, you know, support.
Like you know, it's just veryinteresting to sort of like read
from my perspective in thegovernment space to see, like,
(39:35):
what private funders are reallythinking about in terms of
priorities.
And it's also exciting to seeoccasionally you know I followed
the LinkedIn pages for a lot ofthese foundations to see what
kind of initiatives are outthere, what is in need of
funding and also like whatindividuals are doing to support
(39:59):
any given economic and socialissue at the time.
It gives you a good idea ofwhat is happening in the world.
So I stay connected through theChronicle of Philanthropy, but I
also, you know, I like tofollow a lot of LinkedIn pages.
I'm ashamed to say that I don'treally follow the news, so I
cannot help you there In termsof like live TV, I think in the
past right, that has reallystressed me back in the 2020,
(40:22):
2016 era.
So, like I kind of like justfollow the Washington Post, the
Wall Street Journal and likearticles such as the Chronicle.
Speaker 2 (40:31):
Is there anything else we have not discussed that
the world should know aboutZoyla?
Speaker 1 (40:35):
Look, thank you for the opportunity to have this
very honest conversation.
I, as I had told you in thepast, it takes courage to have
these open conversations withsomeone, so I'm glad that you
sort of like give, gave me the,the, the safe space to to have
them, and I think we should becomfortable having.
You know these conversationsabout financial investment,
(41:00):
talking about money, talkingabout you know, the pros and
cons of government space,whether a law degree is, you
know, needed, whether it wasworth it.
So thank you for having me andwhatever I can do to support the
audience that you're aiming to.
I am very passionate abouthaving conversations with people
(41:23):
of color, to empower people ofcolor, so thank you for having
me.
Speaker 2 (41:28):
I appreciate that.
You're an award-winning leaderin your field, so we are just
here to have a conversation andlearn, so that others can
hopefully follow in thefootsteps and take bits and
pieces of your story and applyit to their path.
So thank you.
Speaker 1 (41:42):
You're very kind.
Thank you for everything thatyou do, daddy.
Of course I appreciate you.
Speaker 3 (41:46):
I hope you enjoyed this episode.
If you did and believe on themission we're on, please like,
rate and subscribe to thispodcast on whatever platform
you're using, and share thispodcast with your friends and
your networks.
Make sure you follow us onInstagram and LinkedIn at Career
Cheat Code and tell us peopleor careers you would like to see
highlighted.
See you next week with somemore cheat codes.
Peace.
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I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
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Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Ridiculous History
History is beautiful, brutal and, often, ridiculous. Join Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown as they dive into some of the weirdest stories from across the span of human civilization in Ridiculous History, a podcast by iHeartRadio.