A positive attitude and a willingness to stay off the beaten path are essential ingredients for success in one’s career, a White House representative said.
Karen Richardson, the associate director for International Affairs in the White House Office of Public Engagement, shared her life and career experiences to a group of about 30 students and faculty members at the Howard Thurman Center on Wednesday.
Richardson discussed the steps she took to reach her career goals and attain what she has today.
Richardson, who grew up in Los Angeles, received a B.A. from Howard University, law degree from Howard’s School of Law and an M.A. in international affairs from the London School of Economics.
Yet despite her credentials, Richardson cited “positivity” as the most important factor in her success.
“There’s always somebody who’s going to be smarter than you, have more credentials than you, somebody’s going to have something else,” she said. “What really separates you from others is your attitude.”
She said she was always interested in international relations, an urge she satisfied by working for the United Nations Children Fund to combat child trafficking and global HIV issues in Florence.
“Working at UNICEF was a wonderful experience not only because of the language facility, but also being able to learn a different culture,” she said.
When she returned to the United States, she said she interned in then-Sen. Barack Obama’s office as a mailroom assistant before procuring a full-time position as deputy to the policy director.
“It gave me a different perspective on what it means to be working on behalf of the American people,” Richardson said on working for Obama. “You know that this is somebody who is working very hard for the right reasons. He cultivates a culture among his staff that really permeates from the top all the way down.”
When Obama announced his candidacy for the presidency, Richardson followed him on the campaign trail, working on the policy team and traveling to different states in order to win the vote, she said.
From there, she went on the serve as a policy director and work for the Congressional Liaison Team at the Democratic National Convention before becoming a permanent staffer in the White House, she said.
She explained her department is part of the Office of Public Engagement, an office created by Obama as an outreach entity to constituents and advocacy groups.
“We are the front door to the White House,” Richardson said.
Richardson served as a variety of different positions, including health care outreach coordinator for the White House Office of Health Reform.
“You always have to be open to different things that come your way, even if they don’t fit into your original plan,” she said.
Many student attendees were International Relations and Political Science majors who attended to learn more about potential career paths.
“It was interesting to hear the story of someone who has made it so high up in the International Relations field,” said College of Arts and Sciences junior Hilary Lyons.
“She was really insightful and down-to-earth, and that’s always something to look for in this particular field,” added CAS junior Shana Richards.
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