传递爱
杰西卡·鲁芬(Jessica RUFFIN)并不总是确定她的职业生涯会把她带向何方, 但有一件事她很确定:她想帮助别人.
In 2018, Jessica was recruited by the Allegheny County Department of Human Services (ACDHS) to launch the Office of 公平与包容. 她渴望成为变革的力量, she leads efforts to uplift under-resourced communities and reshape systems to set people of all backgrounds up for success. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed even deeper disparities in the systems meant to serve county residents, 这让杰西卡的工作比以往任何时候都更加紧迫. 每一天, Jessica embraces a sense of purpose she cultivated over many years and across many institutions, 包括澳门官方老葡京. She says the principles promoted in her school environment inspire her to be a changemaker in the Pittsburgh community to this day.
她的成功之路
她的工作如何培养一个积极的社区
Jessica’s responsibilities as Deputy Director for the Office of Equity and Engagement are numerous and diverse, 但其核心是, her role is about ensuring that the services the department provides are accessible and culturally responsive. “我们有责任为我们国家最弱势的人群服务, 而且往往是在危机时期. We have a responsibility to help people navigate these vulnerable times while doing what we can to prevent those crises in the future so that children and youth grow up safer and healthier, 成年人可以更安全、更独立地生活.”
在疫情最严重的时候, 她和她的团队与为布莱克服务的领导人合作, Latinx, ”+, 难民, 和移民社区，以确保COVID-19缓解战略, 可用资源(i).e. 科技、食品等.), 之后的免疫信息, were responsive to community needs and delivered by trusted community advocates on the platforms and in the languages that the communities needed. 除了公平工作, 杰西卡负责ACDHS的营销和社区参与工作, focusing on fostering trust and collaboration between community members and local government.
当涉及到培养一个积极的社区, Jessica said that the guiding principle she sets for herself and her team is to act with integrity—upholding our commitment to serving our community and acting responsibly with the trust that we’ve built. 信任一旦失去就很难再重新获得.
“这与我们无关, or anything we can gain; it’s about filling a community need, 我们每个人都有责任, 我们必须发挥我们的作用,”她说。. “大流行是一个强有力的例子，说明了建设社区可以是什么样子. One of the things that made me proud to be a Pittsburgher was how that natural benevolence kicked in when the crisis occurred. 邻居们不只是烤面包，他们还把面包放在邻居的门廊上. Communities huddled together where one parent would help support children in virtual learning environments, 当其他父母工作时. 组织, 比如教堂和学校, 制定计划，确保儿童和老年人能够获得食物, 互联网, 值得信任的成年人. 培养一个积极的社区就是要寻找和拥抱帮助别人的机会.”
除了提供直接服务, Jessica said another key way she strives to foster a positive community is by leveraging her position of leadership and influence for good. She achieves this not only through her work with ACDHS, but through volunteer and board service.
她说:“我只在两个董事会任职，它们对我来说意义重大。. “一个, 山顶联盟, supports my neighborhood’s development—because we now have three generations of my family that were raised in Beltzhoover following the migration of my grandparents, 托马斯。, Sr. & 胡安妮塔·鲁芬和约翰 & 上世纪60年代的莎拉·里德. I feel deeply connected to that neighborhood and am so proud and committed to supporting and maintaining that connection for my family. 另一个是援助公民企业计划(PACE)。, 非营利组织的能力建设机构, 其中大多数是中小型企业, 由布莱克领导或为其服务, 土著, 和有色人种(BIPOC). 由于我个人的指导原则和我的职业，我觉得在这些空间里很有帮助. 确定你的影响范围, 我觉得你只需要考虑一下怎样和在哪里出现对你来说是最好的, 提前建立人际关系, 如果可以的话.”
她对社区领袖的建议
回来
她的成功之路
杰西卡对工作的兴奋是如此明显, 谁也猜不到她走上这个角色的道路是出乎意料的. “当我开始在匹兹堡大学读本科的时候, 我挣扎着找路,”她说。. “我以为我会进入运动医学领域，但很快意识到这并不适合我, 所以我专注于完成必修的核心课程. 到了第二年或第三年，我仍然不知道该做什么.”
上课时, 杰西卡开始从事幼儿早期教育工作, 后来, 婴儿——她的使命之路的第一步. "Working in the infant classroom was so amazing that I quit school to work there full-time,她分享道。. “我的部分工作是为父母撰写有关他们孩子发展的最新信息. 有一天,, 我给一个孩子写了一封，他的母亲是皮特教育学院的教员，她读了之后说, “你在干什么?? 我们爱您作为老师，但我们知道您可以做得更多.“除了当时我的家庭情况，她没有告诉我更多的事情, but just that encounter helped me realize that I did have strong relationship-building and communications skills that could be a benefit while working to help people.”
新启发, 杰西卡回到了皮特大学，并于2006年毕业，获得了城市研究学位, setting off a career in which each new role would allow her to grow more and more connected to and invested in the communities of the Pittsburgh region. 她在美国服务队完成了一年的工作，帮助女性创业, 帮助那些父母身陷囹圄的孩子, 通过她在Public Allies/Coro Pittsburgh的工作，培训和指导新兴领导者, and helped support community-based research through her role as the inaugural director of the Social Justice Institutes at Carlow University. All of these roles fueled her passion beyond helping people to strategize to work toward social justice.
杰西卡解释说:“我对系统如何与人作对感到沮丧。. “例如, 为父母身陷囹圄的孩子提供导师是可以的, but how do we address why their parents were incarcerated and separated from their families in the first place, 以及为什么这些家庭中有色人种的比例不成比例, 尤其是黑人家庭? 政府在我们今天看到的种族不平等中扮演了核心角色. It will continue to perpetuate those inequities unless there are intentional interventions to address them.”
“政府在实现社会正义方面发挥着重要作用, 所以我去了政府部门工作. 帮助人们批判性地思考与人对抗的结构, 是我每天奋斗的目标吗. 当我们消除障碍，建立一个为所有人服务的系统时，我们都是赢家.”
Jessica said her exposure to the diversity at Ellis laid a foundation for this type of critical thinking. "I went to a predominantly Black elementary and middle school in the historic Hill District. 然后我来到澳门新葡新京官方, 一所有不同种族学生的学校, 文化, 社会经济背景. This first exposure ignited my curiosity and desire to better understand how our society operated and why there were people that had great access and others that didn’t. 从我的成长经历来看，我知道要想进入这个世界需要付出更多的努力. I learned a great deal from my schoolmates and count myself blessed to have learned alongside them. 也就是说, 这不是一段轻松的经历, 所以我一直有一种回报的想法，在不同的环境中探索方法, 就像我在澳门新葡新京官方经历的那样, 可以接受差异, 同时培养一种包容和归属感.”
上课时, 杰西卡开始从事幼儿早期教育工作, 后来, 婴儿——她的使命之路的第一步. "Working in the infant classroom was so amazing that I quit school to work there full-time,她分享道。. “我的部分工作是为父母撰写有关他们孩子发展的最新信息. 有一天,, 我给一个孩子写了一封，他的母亲是皮特教育学院的教员，她读了之后说, “你在干什么?? 我们爱您作为老师，但我们知道您可以做得更多.“除了当时我的家庭情况，她没有告诉我更多的事情, but just that encounter helped me realize that I did have strong relationship-building and communications skills that could be a benefit while working to help people.”
新启发, 杰西卡回到了皮特大学，并于2006年毕业，获得了城市研究学位, setting off a career in which each new role would allow her to grow more and more connected to and invested in the communities of the Pittsburgh region. 她在美国服务队完成了一年的工作，帮助女性创业, 帮助那些父母身陷囹圄的孩子, 通过她在Public Allies/Coro Pittsburgh的工作，培训和指导新兴领导者, and helped support community-based research through her role as the inaugural director of the Social Justice Institutes at Carlow University. All of these roles fueled her passion beyond helping people to strategize to work toward social justice.
杰西卡解释说:“我对系统如何与人作对感到沮丧。. “例如, 为父母身陷囹圄的孩子提供导师是可以的, but how do we address why their parents were incarcerated and separated from their families in the first place, 以及为什么这些家庭中有色人种的比例不成比例, 尤其是黑人家庭? 政府在我们今天看到的种族不平等中扮演了核心角色. It will continue to perpetuate those inequities unless there are intentional interventions to address them.”
“政府在实现社会正义方面发挥着重要作用, 所以我去了政府部门工作. 帮助人们批判性地思考与人对抗的结构, 是我每天奋斗的目标吗. 当我们消除障碍，建立一个为所有人服务的系统时，我们都是赢家.”
Jessica said her exposure to the diversity at Ellis laid a foundation for this type of critical thinking. "I went to a predominantly Black elementary and middle school in the historic Hill District. 然后我来到澳门新葡新京官方, 一所有不同种族学生的学校, 文化, 社会经济背景. This first exposure ignited my curiosity and desire to better understand how our society operated and why there were people that had great access and others that didn’t. 从我的成长经历来看，我知道要想进入这个世界需要付出更多的努力. I learned a great deal from my schoolmates and count myself blessed to have learned alongside them. 也就是说, 这不是一段轻松的经历, 所以我一直有一种回报的想法，在不同的环境中探索方法, 就像我在澳门新葡新京官方经历的那样, 可以接受差异, 同时培养一种包容和归属感.”
她的工作如何培养一个积极的社区
Jessica’s responsibilities as Deputy Director for the Office of Equity and Engagement are numerous and diverse, 但其核心是, her role is about ensuring that the services the department provides are accessible and culturally responsive. “我们有责任为我们国家最弱势的人群服务, 而且往往是在危机时期. We have a responsibility to help people navigate these vulnerable times while doing what we can to prevent those crises in the future so that children and youth grow up safer and healthier, 成年人可以更安全、更独立地生活.”
在疫情最严重的时候, 她和她的团队与为布莱克服务的领导人合作, Latinx, ”+, 难民, 和移民社区，以确保COVID-19缓解战略, 可用资源(i).e. 科技、食品等.), 之后的免疫信息, were responsive to community needs and delivered by trusted community advocates on the platforms and in the languages that the communities needed. 除了公平工作, 杰西卡负责ACDHS的营销和社区参与工作, focusing on fostering trust and collaboration between community members and local government.
当涉及到培养一个积极的社区, Jessica said that the guiding principle she sets for herself and her team is to act with integrity—upholding our commitment to serving our community and acting responsibly with the trust that we’ve built. 信任一旦失去就很难再重新获得.
“这与我们无关, or anything we can gain; it’s about filling a community need, 我们每个人都有责任, 我们必须发挥我们的作用,”她说。. “大流行是一个强有力的例子，说明了建设社区可以是什么样子. One of the things that made me proud to be a Pittsburgher was how that natural benevolence kicked in when the crisis occurred. 邻居们不只是烤面包，他们还把面包放在邻居的门廊上. Communities huddled together where one parent would help support children in virtual learning environments, 当其他父母工作时. 组织, 比如教堂和学校, 制定计划，确保儿童和老年人能够获得食物, 互联网, 值得信任的成年人. 培养一个积极的社区就是要寻找和拥抱帮助别人的机会.”
除了提供直接服务, Jessica said another key way she strives to foster a positive community is by leveraging her position of leadership and influence for good. She achieves this not only through her work with ACDHS, but through volunteer and board service.
她说:“我只在两个董事会任职，它们对我来说意义重大。. “一个, 山顶联盟, supports my neighborhood’s development—because we now have three generations of my family that were raised in Beltzhoover following the migration of my grandparents, 托马斯。, Sr. & 胡安妮塔·鲁芬和约翰 & 上世纪60年代的莎拉·里德. I feel deeply connected to that neighborhood and am so proud and committed to supporting and maintaining that connection for my family. 另一个是援助公民企业计划(PACE)。, 非营利组织的能力建设机构, 其中大多数是中小型企业, 由布莱克领导或为其服务, 土著, 和有色人种(BIPOC). 由于我个人的指导原则和我的职业，我觉得在这些空间里很有帮助. 确定你的影响范围, 我觉得你只需要考虑一下怎样和在哪里出现对你来说是最好的, 提前建立人际关系, 如果可以的话.”
她对社区领袖的建议
Jessica summed up the key to success—especially in a government service career—in a timeless adage.
“相信你自己，”她说. 这听起来很老套，但你会遇到很多挑战和障碍. 有些会出乎意料地出现，有些则是由你做出的决定造成的. 不要气馁，这是最好的学习机会. 成功, 你需要应对这些挑战, 而做到这一点的唯一方法就是相信自己, 要知道你有很多东西可以给这个世界.杰西卡还补充道, “即使你很完美，没有成长的机会, 至少, 别忘了投票! 做一个知情的选民是一种反抗的行为. 虽然有时混乱和令人沮丧，但不要淹没世界. 请对你所接受的信息持批评态度. The facts will make themselves known, you just have to have enough integrity to check them.”
The diversity of the courses at Ellis was foundational to Jessica’s ability to believe in herself and hold herself accountable, 尽管她说她在那里的时候并没有完全意识到这一点. 作为一个成年人, 她意识到澳门新葡新京官方学院的教职员工都是各自领域的专家, 这是大多数学生直到大学才获得的经验. At an early age, they introduced her to experiences and ideas she may not have otherwise explored.
“相信你自己，”她说. 这听起来很老套，但你会遇到很多挑战和障碍. 有些会出乎意料地出现，有些则是由你做出的决定造成的. 不要气馁，这是最好的学习机会. 成功, 你需要应对这些挑战, 而做到这一点的唯一方法就是相信自己, 要知道你有很多东西可以给这个世界.杰西卡还补充道, “即使你很完美，没有成长的机会, 至少, 别忘了投票! 做一个知情的选民是一种反抗的行为. 虽然有时混乱和令人沮丧，但不要淹没世界. 请对你所接受的信息持批评态度. The facts will make themselves known, you just have to have enough integrity to check them.”
The diversity of the courses at Ellis was foundational to Jessica’s ability to believe in herself and hold herself accountable, 尽管她说她在那里的时候并没有完全意识到这一点. 作为一个成年人, 她意识到澳门新葡新京官方学院的教职员工都是各自领域的专家, 这是大多数学生直到大学才获得的经验. At an early age, they introduced her to experiences and ideas she may not have otherwise explored.
“我记得在英语课上，我们正在读《澳门官方老葡京》的一部分. As a Christian, I had never seen the Bible presented as a piece of literature,” she recalled. “我记得上那门课的时候，我想，‘哦，我得到了这个.但后来[老师](Dr. [免费]促使我以一种完全不同的方式分析文本. She inspired me to not simply take what people say about a subject at face value but to be critical and analyze those subjects for myself. 这对我个人和精神上都有帮助.”
她为他人服务的动力也植根于澳门官方老葡京. 她抓住了“服务漏洞”,她是这么说的, in a two-week mini-course where she and several classmates were tasked with determining how to be of service to a community development organization located where 'The Corner’ is now in West Oakland. 这样的经历教会了她如何领导一个团队的宝贵经验, 如何执行服务项目的后勤, 以及到场改变的重要性.
澳门新葡新京官方给了她很多好处, 杰西卡说，她特别感激持久的友谊. “对我来说，我的一些同学代表了世界上最好的人，”她说. “在他们选择的旅程中，他们是杰出的变革者. 在我生命中最关键的时刻，他们一直陪伴着我. 他们在我意想不到的时候出现，鼓励我，提醒我，我们拥有彼此. 尽管我们生活在这个国家和世界的各个地方, 我们也不是每天都见面, 当我们重新连接, 就像时间没有流逝一样. 我们互相支持，互相照顾，我永远感激澳门新葡新京官方.”
她为他人服务的动力也植根于澳门官方老葡京. 她抓住了“服务漏洞”,她是这么说的, in a two-week mini-course where she and several classmates were tasked with determining how to be of service to a community development organization located where 'The Corner’ is now in West Oakland. 这样的经历教会了她如何领导一个团队的宝贵经验, 如何执行服务项目的后勤, 以及到场改变的重要性.
澳门新葡新京官方给了她很多好处, 杰西卡说，她特别感激持久的友谊. “对我来说，我的一些同学代表了世界上最好的人，”她说. “在他们选择的旅程中，他们是杰出的变革者. 在我生命中最关键的时刻，他们一直陪伴着我. 他们在我意想不到的时候出现，鼓励我，提醒我，我们拥有彼此. 尽管我们生活在这个国家和世界的各个地方, 我们也不是每天都见面, 当我们重新连接, 就像时间没有流逝一样. 我们互相支持，互相照顾，我永远感激澳门新葡新京官方.”
