We heard you received an award recenetly! What award did you receive?
“I received the Woman of Distinction award from my local Assemblywoman, Michaelle Solages and New York’s Lieutenant Governor, Kathy Hochul. “
Did you know you were up for the award? How did you qualify?
“It was actually a total shock to me that I was up for this award! My impression is that someone from the local community nominated me, although I still have yet to find out who that is (so shout-out to my nominator if you see this!).”
What is the significance of the award?
“The Woman of Distinction Award is significant because it recognizes women in the community who are leaders in their communities. It’s significant to me because it gave me an opportunity to hear Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul speak, and her speech about public service as a calling brought me to so much faith and validation that I have that call. Cheesy, I know. Other than that, the significance to me was seeing my mom receive the award – she has worked so hard throughout the years that she’s owned The Bold Chocolatier, and it brought me so much joy to see her be recognized for that.”
Where do you work? What do you do there?
“I actually have three jobs, which is sometimes so much to handle, and requires me to wear many hats. First and foremost, I am a student, and I currently am a senior at Molloy and study business management and philosophy. Although I devote a lot of time to being in school, I also work at The Bold Chocolatier, which is my family’s business, as the Dwight Schrute to my mom’s Michael Scott (I watch a lot of The Office). I have what I think is most people’s dream job – I literally get to make chocolate all day! I also intern at two non-profit organizations, the Long Island Progressive Coalition and The Book Fairies. At LIPC, I help to organize the community and get people energized about the “Fight for 15″ and raising the minimum wage. I actually spent the day in Albany this week advocating for that, and it was such an amazing experience to see so many people fighting for a common goal! At The Book Fairies, I do a lot of work on donor relations and work to provide books to children and adults across Long Island and NYC.”
What are some difficulties that you experience being a double major while working? What are some benefits?
“The biggest difficulty is having a packed schedule, but honestly I wouldn’t have it any other way! While I sometimes complain about having to run around from my internship to class to work and back to class, it makes me so motivated to know that every day I am one step closer to achieving my goals. The benefit has definitely been that I’ve gained a wealth of experience, as well as the fact that I am learning more about this whole “adulting” thing everyday.”
What type of joy does your job bring you? Do you have any favorite stories from The Bold Chocolatier?
“My job brings me so much joy. I love working with people and I love being able to put a smile on someone’s face from something as simple as chocolate! There are so many funny stories from over the years – we’ve had customers sing at us (awkward!), we’ve had some really nasty people that we can look back on and laugh, and we’ve made many lifelong friends – it’s a blast. As far as stories go, one time I flipped a bunch of melted chocolate on my face which was pretty funny, but I think one of the best experiences was when we placed a customer’s engagement ring on a chocolate-covered Oreo, and he then proposed to his girlfriend by giving her the box of oreos! It was so cute, and it made him so happy!”
What are your future goals?
“I want to be an elected official! I think that our democracy is awesome and I love politics, I seriously am so passionate about making this country even better than it already is. I think we need more leaders representing the true interests of the American people. We need leaders who are passionate, honest, trustworthy, and compassionate, and I would love the chance to prove to people that not all politicians are crooks who can’t be trusted. I’ve met and worked for many women and men in politics who are genuinely good people; I want to make that experience accessible to everyone! As far as more immediate future goals, I’m just looking for a job for after graduation!”
Do you have any advice for women wanting to receive this award?
“I guess the best advice I have is not to live your life in the hopes of being recognized for it, and always give your full 100% to all you do. Like I said, it was a total shock for me to receive this award, and I feel so blessed to have received it, but ultimately, with or without the award, I am so happy to be working for causes I believe in as well as run a business with my biggest role model, my mom, and that brings me all the validation that I need. The awards are a great bonus, though!”
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