Gabrielle Lee
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Pasadena, CA USA
"In school, I was so insecure. But understanding that I didn't have to be perfect and live up to crazy expectations from parents and society freed me. Embrace imperfection."
Career Roadmap
Gabrielle's work combines: Writing, Business, and Learning / Being Challenged
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
Do something. Do anything. In my experience, where you are doesn't matter as much as what you do with it. My cashiering experience at Wahoo's Fish Tacos at UCI directly led to my next job, which led to my next job, which led to my next job, and so on. None of those experiences were unimportant, even though the jobs weren't really related to one another. Treating the job like an opportunity and building something within it--even something small--can go a long way.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Dance, General
University of California-Irvine
Bachelor's Degree
English Language and Literature, General
University of California-Irvine
Graduate Degree
Creative Writing
Eastern Washington University
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
Had always dreamed of becoming a dancer and even auditioned for The Rockettes.
2.
Attended the University of California, Irvine, where she received her bachelor’s degree in dance choreography with a minor in English.
3.
Admits that in college, she took on way too much and, as a result, struggled with mental health issues including anxiety, depression, and OCD.
4.
After suffering numerous injuries and dealing with exhaustion, she decided to give up dancing professionally.
5.
Got married when she was 20 years old—her parents were initially unsupportive.
6.
Decided to go to graduate school at Eastern Washington University, where she received her master’s degree in creative writing.
7.
When she graduated, she found it difficult to find a job with a living wage in that field—she’s since worked as a teacher, an editor, a publisher, and a speech and writing coach.
8.
Now works as a contracts administrator for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where she manages a portfolio of projects and acts as an advocate for technical personnel when it comes to paperwork.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Peers:
It can't be done. You're never going to convince everyone to change.
How I responded:
This advice is completely false. EVERYTHING is negotiable; you just have to use the right words and appeal to people in the right way. And--more than anything else--you have to believe that it CAN be done. And find other people who will champion the same thing you believe in so that you have support from somewhere, at least. The most difficult thing is to not give up when you've failed to make things happen. It's cliche, but persistence is everything. Always keep trying.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I suffered a lot of physical injuries as a dancer that took their toll and eventually forced me to quit dancing on a professional level.
In college, I did too many things. I ended up developing anxiety, depression, and OCD. In my culture, seeing a professional therapist is seen as unnecessary and a betrayal of the family.
I got married when I was 20, which made our parents angry.