Ep12. When Your Neighbors Are Your Network with Boston Civic Organizer Nathalia Benitez-Perez скачать в хорошем качестве

Ep12. When Your Neighbors Are Your Network with Boston Civic Organizer Nathalia Benitez-Perez

She had a plan. Law school. But while everyone around her was doing unpaid internships, Nathalia was waitressing — because that's what paying rent required. Then life happened differently. A campaign job led to City Hall. She became a director at 25. Now she's getting her MBA, not a law degree. Her plan keeps evolving — and she's still figuring it out. Nathalia Benitez-Perez is the Director of the Mayor's Office of Civic Organizing for the City of Boston. She moved from Colombia to Spain to Boston, worked doubles at a restaurant while carrying a full course load at UMass Boston, organized campaigns across East Boston, and built programs like Block Parties, Spooky Streets, and Love Your Block — all with a team of three. In this episode, Nathalia sits down with Tom, Lorenzo, and Antonia to talk about what happens when the path that looks like falling behind actually leads somewhere meaningful. This one's for anyone who can't afford to separate the paycheck from the purpose. Guest: Nathalia Benitez-Perez Director, Mayor's Office of Civic Organizing, City of Boston MBA Candidate, BU Questrom School of Business TIMESTAMPS: 01:30 Colombia to Spain: Growing Up Between Countries 03:45 The 2008 Financial Crisis Changed Everything 05:50 Moving to the U.S.: New York, Florida, and Starting Over 08:10 Transferring to UMass Boston 12:00 The Brutal Schedule: Classes, Restaurant Doubles, and Two Days for Homework 14:30 "I Was Not Special at UMass Boston — It Was All of Us" 16:20 Why Unpaid Internships Were Impossible 18:03 Finding Purpose in Community Work 20:00 What Makes East Boston Special 22:15 Sunday Colombian Food Runs with Her Brother 24:00 Campaigns, Neighbors, and a Different Kind of Networking 25:00 "I've Always Been a Fixer" — Where That Instinct Comes From 27:30 Growing Up in a Household of Strong Women 30:00 Latina Identity, Hospitality, and Putting Others First 32:38 How Constant Moving Affected Friendships 35:00 Finding Home and Choosing to Stay in Eastie 38:00 "I Have Found My Community" 40:38 "I've Learned to Trust Myself More Than the Plan" 42:30 How to Join a Community: Talk to Your Neighbors 44:45 What the Office of Civic Organizing Actually Does 46:30 Block Parties, Spooky Streets, and Love Your Block 49:00 Law School Was Always the Plan — Until It Wasn't 51:00 Director at 25: "Pretending Not to Be Scared" 53:15 Why MBA, Not Law School: BU Questrom 55:00 Working for Mayor Wu as a Woman and Fellow Newcomer 59:00 "Instead of Forcing the River, Let the Current Carry You" 61:00 Advice for Anyone Who Feels Behind — Follow Us: TikTok:   / therealitygappod    Instagram:   /     LinkedIn:   /     YouTube:    / @therealitygappod   Watch Or Listen On: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... | https://open.spotify.com/show/1rxdYB0... |    / @therealitygappod   Want to share your own career mess? Got an idea for an episode? social@realitygappod.com Interested in advertising? social@realitygappod.com Learn more at https://realitygappod.com Note: We may earn revenue from some of the links we provide. The Reality Gap Pod is a production of Signal + Pattern LLC. Registered trademark.