My Attached Cover Letter

27 January 2020

To Whom It May Concern:

Today is my 39th birthday. I say this so that you understand this may be either an attempt to better get to know the whole person that is me, or it may very well be a midlife crisis. I honestly don’t know which of those should make you feel more comfortable, but if you are going to hire me, I feel you should fully understand who I am and what I am hoping to accomplish with this letter.

Who am I? I am a Concerned Citizen. I’m gay, Jewish, and have had a life-long battle with depression. I could be your friend. I could be your colleague. I could be your neighbor.

And I’m scared.

Truth appears to not matter; history will not remember this time positively. Our democracy was hacked by Russia, and instead of rallying against our common enemy, we appear to be welcoming it back in 2020. We don’t want to take the time to actually discover what the truth is. We’re putting children in cages. We are more likely to hear from our President over Twitter than a press briefing. And today, 75 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, the words of Emma Lazarus are no longer the government’s position on immigration for the first time in our nation’s history:

Enough is enough, and I want to be a part of the solution.

I’ve always been passionate about education. From my earliest days, I worked at an after school program as a tutor and mentor. Every summer in college, I worked with summer camps or on campus to improve the lives of the students at my university. But following September 11, I did not take care of my own mental health and suffered what would be my first in a series of life-long battles with major depression. When I didn’t graduate in May of 2003, my loving parents dragged me home, where I was again asked to work for the same school where I used to tutor. Recognizing my commitment to education, I moved to the greater Baltimore area where I earned my first Master’s in Elementary Education. After teaching in Baltimore for three years, I was hired by an education technology firm to consult with teachers on how to integrate technology into their classrooms; schools often using American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 money to pay for my services. After my second battle with depression led to the loss of this job, I found a great start-up where I worked both domestically and internationally to help change the face of education by bringing high quality Master’s programs online. I worked there for almost nine years, and loved every minute. Unfortunately, this company laid off several employees, including me, which led to my fourth major struggle with depression.

However, I was very fortunate that this employment allowed me to earn a free Masters in Business Administration. While receiving my MBA from Simmons University, an all-female undergraduate institution that had a unique perspective on power, policy, and data, I realized how fortunate I was. I grew up in a loving Jewish family in Northwestern Louisiana. As the child who would usually be asked to bring latkes, I knew what it felt like to be a token from an early age, and didn’t really think there was anything wrong with that. However, as I’ve aged, my goal has become to make sure every room is as diverse as possible. I want to make sure that no one has to feel like they are alone.

Being gay has taught me a powerful lesson on not loving who you are. When I was 12, my life was chaotic as I was preparing for my forthcoming Bar/Bat Mitzvah service and just beginning to discover who I am and how I was different. It wasn’t until 18 years later, when I was in my first stable adult relationship, that I successfully came out to my parents. While all went as I had hoped, part of me still worried. And it was only recently that I was able to forgive my childhood best friend, who indirectly outed me that same year with rumor and innuendo; they did so only because they didn’t want our mutual bullies to think, rightly so, the same of them. To quote them: “How did we survive? Gay kids in Louisiana. It’s a miracle we are still here”

I can’t sit back any more. As you can see from the above, I’m actively working on improving myself, am open to feedback, and truly believe that diversity of thought, opinion, and presence makes us better. As Jon Cooper reminded us:

I have little experience working in politics, but I welcome any opportunity, near or far, that you feel may fit my attached resume and drive the greatest impact from me.

Or tell me where to go to pick up the phone.

Thanks for your consideration,

A Concerned Citizen.

aconcernedcitizen.012720@gmail.com

Put me in coach, I’m ready!

PS: Everyone’s mental health is their own. For me, writing this has been exceptionally cathartic, and I promise I’m okay! If you read this and see something that makes you wonder if I’m okay, please ask me. I’d love to talk to you about it more!