Sonya Young Aadam
California Black Women's Health Project
Los Angeles, CA USA
"Serve wherever you are. Find a way to serve that makes a difference to you."
Career Roadmap
Sonya's work combines: Non-Profit Organizations, Medicine, and Helping People
See more careers and stories that connect to your interests.
Take Roadmap Quiz
Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
I recommend pursuing a graduate school degree within three to four years of completing undergraduate studies. I also recommend continuous learning and training, and actively working to bridge passion, skills, training, and vocation with a delicate balance.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Business
Wharton School - University of Pennsylvania
Certification
Financial Management
Certification
Real Estate Development
Certification
Meeting Facilitation
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
I was born and raised in a tough neighborhood in South Los Angeles, California.
2.
I had a passion for both business and community, so I decided I’d pursue a business degree and serve the community by hopefully working for the World Bank or International Monetary Fund.
3.
I earned my bachelor’s degree in business from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
4.
After graduating, I started my career in commercial and investment banking—it was a good job and I was making great money, but I didn’t feel fulfilled because I wasn’t serving the community.
5.
When I moved back to Los Angeles, I was shocked by how little had improved within the community, so I started getting involved by working with a church, teaching classes, and donating money.
6.
I shifted into the entertainment industry and worked in sales and strategy for companies like The Walt Disney Company and MTV Networks.
7.
I eventually grew a distaste for the work I was doing in both banking and entertainment because it wasn’t feeding my heart and soul—I took two years off to really think about what I wanted to do.
8.
I made a career shift to work for community-serving organizations, which led to my position now with California Black Women’s Health Project.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
We treat everybody the same.
How I responded:
A lot of healthcare organizations will say that they treat everybody the same. They certainly don't. The outcome disparities prove otherwise. I'm leading a company now that works to fill the gaps within healthcare as it pertains to social justice. However, I hope that one day we get to a point where we don't even need disparity reduction efforts anymore.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I grew up in a tough neighborhood in Los Angeles. With support from community organizations and my own hard work in school, I earned a scholarship to a college preparatory school and was able to get out of the tough environment around me.