Sonya Young Aadam
CEO
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.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationSonya Young Aadam
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
I was born and raised in a tough neighborhood in South Los Angeles, California.
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.
I earned my bachelor’s degree in business from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
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.
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.
I shifted into the entertainment industry and worked in sales and strategy for companies like The Walt Disney Company and MTV Networks.
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.
I made a career shift to work for community-serving organizations, which led to my position now with California Black Women’s Health Project.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Bachelor
Business
Wharton School - University of Pennsylvania
Business
Wharton School - University of Pennsylvania
Certification/License
Financial Management
Financial Management
Certification/License
Real Estate Development
Real Estate Development
Certification/License
Meeting Facilitation
Meeting Facilitation
Career
CEO
I help to fill the gap in health and wellness as it relates to social justice for Black women.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Non-Profit Organizations
Medicine
Helping People
Day to Day
My calendar is generally double and tripled booked. After scanning the calendar, I plan the day before opening email to peruse those snoozed from the previous day. The day then proceeds to include approximately 25% administrative, 50% program and operations planning meetings, 25% fund development, and the remaining 25% staff management. At the end of 10-12 hours, the work is never complete, hence the need to snooze dozens of emails that become part of the following day's workload.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for college students
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.
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Society in General:
"We treat everybody the same."
Challenges I Overcame
Socioeconomic Origin
Interviewed By
Caring Forward
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