Leading Mentors: Jacklyn Mathew Reminds Us "Lift as You Climb"
Growing up in the South Asian American community, politics wasn’t a field that was familiar to Jacklyn Mathew. Having an appreciation for American government and pursuing a degree in Political Science she always knew she wanted to move to Washington, DC, and work in politics but didn’t know how. As a young woman of color interested in politics, Jackie was not always sure how to enter the field, especially since she rarely saw women who looked like her pursuing their political dreams. Over the years her career path is characterized by spontaneity and trusting her gut to take on new opportunities.
She got her start during the 2012 reelection campaign for President Barack Obama, when she started volunteering for the advance team. She quickly realized that traveling and promoting the pillars of the Obama Administration was something she wanted to do after graduating college, even though it wasn’t the career trajectory her family or community had in mind for her. One opened door led to another and although it was always a risk to take the next opportunity, Jackie continued to seek advice from those who came before her and listened to her gut to make the most important career and life decisions. Jackie’s story is particularly exciting, because she started her career in the federal government and was able to translate those skills and experiences to the local level. Her experiences on both levels of government has really affirmed to her that public service comes in many different forms, regardless of the role. While at first, she saw public service as the politicians making direct policy change, she realized that those who help support the principals are an interictal entity in serving the community.
Having worked in a number of advance roles, Jackie finds it most rewarding to witness the interactions between a principal she works for and his/her constituents. A specific event that she found particularly rewarding was an event in a high school gym during the 2012 presidential election cycle. It was the hottest day of the summer in Denver, CO, the gym was packed with over 500 people, and the air conditioning unit was broken. Although everything seemed to not be going as planned, the moment President Obama came out to address the crowd, Jackie saw the direct effect he had on people. She always made it a point to step back and watch the attendees take in the President’s remarks and even share a hand shake or hug, knowing that their lives were forever changed. She found it extremely humbling to be a small part in a large moment for a lot of those folks in the audience.
Speaking from her own experience of taking leaps of faith throughout her career, she stresses the importance of trusting your gut and shared a wealth of advice for young women who are looking to enter the world of government and public service. She mentioned that women, and especially women of color, regardless of profession, often have to work ten times harder, stronger, longer, and smarter than others in the workforce. But she also encouraged young women to remember their purpose and know their contribution to the office that they are in, even when it seems to be an uphill battle to have a role in public service. After all, it is an incredible opportunity to live the American Dream every day.
And when you do make it to the top, Jackie says that it’s important to uplift other women. “Lift as you climb – I felt that personally, women have encouraged me and lifted me on my own journey.” Now, as someone who has experience in the field, she is working to mentor and lift younger women up as she climbs too!
Jacklyn is currently the Traveling Chief of Staff for Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington, DC. Previously, she served as an Advance Associate in the Scheduling and Advance Department of the Obama White House and has worked as an Advance Specialist for the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.