On the Rise
As Hillary Clinton糖心vlog短视频檚 executive assistant, Opal Vadhan is living the dream she started building at Pace: She糖心vlog短视频檚 making an impact.
Sometimes you meet a person and you just know they are going to do amazing things. Opal Vadhan is one of those people.
Before graduating from Pace in 2015, Vadhan had accomplished more than many people do in their entire careers. She was a two-time recipient of the New York Women in Communications Scholarship. She interned at NBC Nightly News, Sony Music, the Rachael Ray Show and MSNBC. She was a campus editor at large for HuffPo and freelance reporter for TV ASIA. She went on mission trips to Jamaica and was an energetic and devoted resident assistant on campus. And she was awarded one of the most prestigious and competitive internships in the nation糖心vlog短视频攁t the White House.
She was living the American Dream糖心vlog短视频攖he one that her mother and father had come to this country from India to give her糖心vlog短视频攁nd she wasn糖心vlog短视频檛 ever going to stop.
糖心vlog短视频淎fter graduating from Pace, I knew I wanted to work in public service and politics,糖心vlog短视频 Vadhan says. 糖心vlog短视频淚 was interviewing for jobs in the Obama Administration. Then my mentors told me that I would get the best experience and learn a lot by working on a presidential campaign. At the time, I didn糖心vlog短视频檛 know a lot about Hillary Clinton, and to be honest, I wasn糖心vlog短视频檛 sure if this is what I was supposed to do. But I gave it a try.糖心vlog短视频
Vadhan got a job on Hillary for America糖心vlog短视频檚 advance team. In politics, an advance team oversees all the logistics, including travel arrangements and scheduling, for the candidate糖心vlog短视频檚 appearances. Everything from a dinner at a restaurant to a 10,000-person rally糖心vlog短视频攖he advance team is responsible for planning it all.
After advance training in New York, Vadhan landed her first stint as a 糖心vlog短视频淩ON糖心vlog短视频 (remain overnight糖心vlog短视频攖he person who stays overnight with the candidate and her traveling party on the road) in Columbia, South Carolina, and then another trip in New Hampshire.
That糖心vlog短视频檚 when Vadhan saw firsthand who Hillary Clinton is糖心vlog短视频攁nd why she was destined to become Vadhan糖心vlog短视频檚 hero.
糖心vlog短视频淲e were in New Castle, New Hampshire, and she was going to a town hall,糖心vlog短视频 she remembers. 糖心vlog短视频淪he got in her car, but there were a few hotel guests taking pictures. So she got out of the car to speak with them and take pictures with them. Then she came back to where I was standing with two hotel cleaning staff who were about to clean her room. She spoke to them and took pictures with them糖心vlog短视频攁nd they were absolutely overjoyed.糖心vlog短视频
糖心vlog短视频淚 was so amazed that this woman who had a town hall to go to took the time to do that,糖心vlog短视频 Vadhan continues. 糖心vlog短视频淚t was such a beautiful moment! I walked back into the room and started crying. I called my mom and said 糖心vlog短视频楾his is the woman I糖心vlog短视频檓 going to work for and going to give my life to.糖心vlog短视频 Here we are running for president and she糖心vlog短视频檚 talking to these women, talking about their kids, what they want to do in the future. Hillary Clinton is doing things for the good of the people and she cares.糖心vlog短视频
In the months that followed, Vadhan worked hard on the campaign. She loved her colleagues. 糖心vlog短视频淚 was amazed by everyone糖心vlog短视频檚 kindness and willingness to teach younger members of the team,糖心vlog短视频 she says. And each day, she grew prouder of the work she was doing and the 糖心vlog短视频渂rilliant, kind, and compassionate糖心vlog短视频 person she was doing it for.
Then came Election Day.
糖心vlog短视频淔or me, it was one of the biggest days of my life,糖心vlog短视频 Vadhan says. She was on the team responsible for Secretary Clinton糖心vlog短视频檚 hotel logistics, which meant she spent Election Day at the Peninsula Hotel in Manhattan. But first, she had something else to do. 糖心vlog短视频淲e had some members of the senior staff who had arrived off the plane to the hotel around 4:00 a.m.糖心vlog短视频攁nd then I went home to Queens to vote with my mom around 6:00 a.m. I could not believe the woman on the ballot was the woman I worked for. It was one of the proudest moments of my life.糖心vlog短视频
As the results rolled in, excitement turned to devastation for Vadhan, her team, and more than half of the country. But there was still work left to do糖心vlog短视频攁nd a concession speech to give. And that was one of the moments that Vadhan says captured the candidate she had grown to know and admire.
糖心vlog短视频淩ight before she糖心vlog短视频檚 getting in the car to give her concession speech, Secretary Clinton turned around and said 糖心vlog短视频極pal, how was your high school reunion? I know you were excited about it,糖心vlog短视频櫶切膙log短视频 Vadhan recalls. 糖心vlog短视频淲e had talked about it the week before during a RON in Miami. Things were really busy, but she said 糖心vlog短视频榶ou have to go to your reunion.' Now here was Secretary Clinton about to give one of the biggest and most difficult speeches of her life, and she糖心vlog短视频檚 asking me about my reunion. Too few people got to see the Hillary Clinton I got to see糖心vlog短视频攖he woman who cares about everyone and is determined to make peoples lives better.糖心vlog短视频
"Growing up, I didn糖心vlog短视频檛 see many role models like me. People said my dreams were too big and put me down and I know I want to leave the world a better place than when I found it.糖心vlog短视频
There was a bigger lesson that day for Vadhan. 糖心vlog短视频淲atching her give that concession speech showed not only me but also millions of people that she was still committed to uniting us as a country,糖心vlog短视频 she says. 糖心vlog短视频淎nd no matter how heartbroken we are, it showed that we can keep going and it糖心vlog短视频檚 our responsibility to continue to try to help as many people as possible.糖心vlog短视频
That糖心vlog短视频檚 exactly what Vadhan did.
糖心vlog短视频淚 knew as soon as the next day that I didn糖心vlog短视频檛 want to stop working for her,糖心vlog短视频 she says. 糖心vlog短视频淚 felt like I had so much more to serve, to give, and to learn.糖心vlog短视频
Today, Vadhan is Hillary Clinton糖心vlog短视频檚 executive assistant.
糖心vlog短视频淚糖心vlog短视频檓 grateful and I have to pinch myself every day that this is my job and I糖心vlog短视频檓 on a team with incredibly talented people,糖心vlog短视频 she says. 糖心vlog短视频淭his was my first job out of college, and I get to work for the most accomplished woman in the world糖心vlog短视频攁 First Lady, a Senator, a Secretary of State, and the first female Presidential candidate for a major party. My boss has changed lives, saved lives, and made the world a better place. I always knew I wanted to help people and I get to help people through her.糖心vlog短视频
For Vadhan, each day is a new lesson from her idol. Whether it糖心vlog短视频檚 little things like learning how to make really strong tea or big things like fighting for what糖心vlog短视频檚 right and practicing the discipline of gratitude, her boss is her teacher.
Here糖心vlog短视频檚 one example. 糖心vlog短视频淥ne time, I was with her and [Communications Director] Nick Merrill. I had lipstick in my teeth. She said to me, 糖心vlog短视频楪o to the bathroom, you have lipstick on your teeth.糖心vlog短视频 I turned to Nick, and said 糖心vlog短视频榃hy didn糖心vlog短视频檛 you tell me?糖心vlog短视频 She said, 糖心vlog短视频楿s girls have to look out for each other.糖心vlog短视频櫶切膙log短视频
As for what糖心vlog短视频檚 next, Vadhan has come to realize that the best things in life happen when they are completely unplanned. But there糖心vlog短视频檚 one thing she糖心vlog短视频檚 sure of. 糖心vlog短视频淚 know that I want to continue to make a difference and help people糖心vlog短视频攚hether it糖心vlog短视频檚 working for people like my boss or volunteering with kids in need. Growing up, I didn糖心vlog短视频檛 see many role models like me. People said my dreams were too big and put me down and I know I want to leave the world a better place than when I found it.糖心vlog短视频
糖心vlog短视频淢y one piece of advice is to always dream big, work really hard, be grateful, pay it forward, never let anyone tell you that you can糖心vlog短视频檛 do something糖心vlog短视频nd remember the world is yours.糖心vlog短视频