Leo Magana: A Growing Passion with an Unclear Path
Prior to my experience at the San Jose Mayor’s Office, I had never worked in a government setting nor had I really considered working in one. I really wanted to be placed at this location because I wanted to figure out if this would be a setting I’d like to work in after graduation. I’ve now spent a few weeks here and the experience has been nothing like I imagined.
Although I haven’t yet met everyone in the office, it is clear that the amount of attention paid to issues affecting the community, no matter how small, is amazing. This attention to detail is only possible because the employees are so willing to spend their time with the community to really understand the issues affecting them. My supervisor and his staff spend their weekdays in the office, but also spend parts of their weekends at neighborhood events to meet face-to-face with the community. Fortunately, I have been able to experience both the office and community setting. While in the office, I have attended meetings, helped with events, and done research regarding community resources to get started on my yearlong project. My yearlong project is to create an online resource for the community to have easy-access to frequently asked questions so that assistance can be streamlined. I understand the value of this resource due to my experience with the community. While listening to the community speak, I learned that the community knows what they need but often doesn’t know who to go to. Hopefully my work can benefit the community in situations like these.
I am still unsure if working in a government setting is what I want to do but I believe my experience here has taught me that I would like to do something that focuses on helping others.