Over the last 10 years, Essa’s work experience covers many sectors including non-profit, business and finance. Beginning in homelessness prevention, she has held board seats, organized community events, managed various projects, and volunteered for community outreach throughout Wyoming.
Essa has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business from the University of Wyoming alongside degrees in both accounting and finance. In order to address and understand racial, class, and socioeconomic disparities, Essa has focused her efforts on blockchain protocol and its untapped potential to mitigate these inequalities.
May 2022 Deliverables
- Quarter 2” off-site logistics (accommodations & meals)
- ETHCC event proposal
- AmbassadorDAO and events collaboration
April 2022 Deliverables
- Publish Grants Playbook
- Recruit 5 contributors for events team
- Create booking structure for events
March 2022 Deliverables
- Standardize event planning and publish standards to events Notion
- 10 grantees at ETHAustin and GDC
- Publish Coachella operations strategy to Notion
| Cultural | Values | Read More | Self Assessment | Personal Story |
|---|---|---|---|---|
6 - I enjoy learning about others to understand who they are. I challenge myself to take more time to listen, and be mindful in my responses to others. | I have experience working with clients within the homeless population. Allowing my clients to transparently tell me their story made me a greater asset in finding the most efficient path forward to identify resources. | |||
9 - I value experiences and wisdom shared by others very highly. I thirst for knowledge. Fortunately, knowledge gained is never absolute. | I started a job as a case manager at a very young age. Naturally, I thought that I knew who they were and why they were in the situation they found themselves in. I found that I was missing something important in all of their stories, so I started asking questions that mattered and seeking guidance from mentors and mental health professionals to correct my understanding. | |||
6 - I am very self-aware, though I must challenge myself to articulate my emotions and thoughts. | Vulnerability has always been my greatest pain. This pain comes not only from refusing to allow myself to be vulnerable, but also from refusing to allow others to be vulnerable with me. As uncomfortable as this is for me, I have also come to understand that vulnerability is what draws humans together in real relationships. | |||
8 - My relationships and experiences with others are highly prioritized in my life. Above everything else, these experiences hold. | When I was 23, I thought that I had found success. In this “success”, I lacked joy—joy that could only be filled by others. I began to move away from that success to prioritize a hope that is lasting, and invested myself in healing and growing in my relationships. | |||
5 - Too often, I find myself trying to accomplish multiple things at once. I hope to learn how better to stay present with the people around me. The relationships in my life hold greater value than anything else I will have. I hope to share that value with others. | My friends now often joke that they don’t need to call me, because I will always reach out to them. I’ve been mindful to understand how to meet others in my life where they are. | |||
8 - I truly believe that we must meet people where they are, not where we expect them to be. It’s very important to me to find understanding and empathy to reach others and to lift others. | I’ve been lucky to overcome hardships in my life, and I’ve used those experiences to give compassion to others to empower them. | |||
8 - It’s imperative that others understand their value, even in the seemingly insignificant times. I hope to always reach out a hand to show others theirs. | I heard once that to be 99% known is to be unknown. To hide any part of ourselves in shame is to hold ourselves hostage to it. I seek to know who people truly are, and I seek to show them who I truly am. With this, we can grow in compassion and open a path without limitations. | |||
9 - It’s with our people, our community, that true success comes. Our process must be built on the foundation of our people. | Above everything else, it is the people that will execute the process. I have been mentored by incredible individuals who have shown me that the true success of any process in held in the people. Sometimes this means holding someone’s hand, sometimes it means taking a step back. In the workplaces I have been most successful in, I have felt safe and I have felt empowered. | |||
7 - Though I am quiet, and can be quite shy, I do try to pick my battles wisely. In disagreeing, it is not with a goal to be “right”, but a desire to understand. | I have disagreed often with friends and family, politically and emotionally. When communication with the people in my life is welcomed, I’ve found that it is not always our desires that are different, but our ideas of how to pursue them. I’ve practiced in my relationships to go beyond tolerance, and instead practice empathy. | |||
9 - I am mindful that our decisions matter. Who we choose to mentor us, the people we choose to hold close, the time we allow ourselves. I hope to be able to continue to see that the decisions I’ve made have been for the betterment of those around me, and the environments I’ve placed myself in. | I seek out every resource possible, and I utilize them. I've had my highs and lows in life, but I’ve consistently persisted and succeeded through them. I balance my circumstances, which have led me through untraditional paths, but the finish line is still the same. | |||
7 - From the least of these to the best, everything will come together to make up one greater whole. I want to work on learning to care equally about each detail. | 💙 I was diagnosed with OCD at a very young age. It was difficult for me to work with others, as I felt that I would hold them back with my attention to detail. Now, I find it to be an asset to notice details other wouldn’t, and embrace the small fixes I can provide for a team. | |||
9 - I can be stubborn. Though, this has always been something that I loved about myself. I stretch boundaries, I test my limits. I know how valuable failure is for my growth. I’m aware that I will never know everything—this gives me the freedom to always learn something. | There have been a few times in my life where I have “moved on”. I have quit jobs, moved cities, and completely restarted my course. Though, with every move, I have worked towards one goal. I believe that it is in these various experiences, (big or small), I am continuing to shape a larger purpose for my passions. I have known prosperity and I have known adversity. Both have been an invaluable asset to me. | |||
9 - I believe we were placed here, (together), to help each other. Though a mission can be subjective, it is a community behind it that brings it life. A community alone will empower it. | I remember being 13 years old and going to a large conference with church youth groups. I looked up and saw tens of thousands of people. People who had their own stories and their own afflictions; their own pain. I saw that I wasn't alone, and for the first time in my life, I felt I was a part of something. | |||
7 - To be entirely honest, I absolutely hate heights. I also do not like change, and I am paralyzed by the thought of failure. This is why I need to fly off a cliff. I remind myself everyday that being uncomfortable is indicative of growth. I remind myself that the only thing I can control is myself. | 💙 When I was 23, I finished remodeling my house that my son and I lived in. Our lives were safe and secure, and I felt the success my parents pruned me for. Of course I was afraid to take a risk, with the possibility of failing. But I couldn’t rest with that being the rest of my life. There were problems I couldn’t address with my clients, relationships I had yet to experience, and a world I had yet to see. Though I didn’t have support from my family, I chose to leave that behind to pursue something. I failed, over and over, and it was the best decision I’ve ever made. | |||
8 - My “dreams” of what success is has changed throughout my life, though my heart has stayed with one dream: to see others, to help others, and to love others. In 50 years, I want to say that I have spent my life accomplishing that dream, over and over again. | I believe that strength and resilience are born out of weakness and vulnerability—if we believe that we can prosper. This perspective will guide me not only in my own life, but also in addressing the problems affecting the health and well-being of the poorest among us. | |||
8 - I feel that consistency is a marking of care and safety. I hope to show consistency in my work and behavior throughout my time with Harmony. | I have read a number of parenting books, and they all have one rule in common: consistency. It is the safety we feel in our relationships, and a marker of love from those around us. | |||
6 - I second guess myself, and I don’t always trust that I have the wisdom/knowledge to make the “best” decision in conflict. Though I will make a tough decision, it is something I hope to learn to trust myself in doing. | While raising my young son, I decided to reset my career path. It was a difficult decision. My heart and passion were still in the community work I left behind, but it was time to move forward with my career aspirations, and take a risks in pursuing something I’ve always hoped to do. | |||
8 - I love to challenge myself to learn, have compassion, and hold forgiveness. In admitting mistakes, I am able to not only hold compassion for myself, but use that wisdom to hold compassion for others. This allows me to better navigate a path for empowerment. | I was also diagnosed with perfectionism when I was younger. My family did not communicate well, and there was so much pride. When I was a young adult, I sought out therapy to navigate this shame and disappointment. I have practiced heavily to admit my mistakes, to let others see who I truly am, and hold compassion for myself so that I can learn and not be held captive to that shame. I have relentlessly practiced this with my family as well. It has been a wonderful journey to watch them grow. | |||
6 - I strive to be a better person than I was with every experience I have. To achieve this, I look to mentors and others I highly respect. My goal is to seek more guidance from my mentors and carry grit to move forward in every step. | Truthfully, I do not like to compete and I do not like “spotlight” attention. In light of my OCD and perfectionism, I’ve learned that my identity must be measured with itself alone. | |||
5 - I struggle with my focus in a lot of different areas, and I have a habit of keeping my thoughts and ideas in my head. I have been working towards a goal of writing things down, whether that be on Notion or in a journal, to create more space in my head for attention and focus. | In my work with the homeless population, my mentor worked tireless hours to show me how to better utilize my resources and talents, and how best I could be an asset in the space. Her time and dedication helped me flourish, and become eager to continue to learn more tools. | |||
7 - I still have much to learn. I will continue to learn about our company and culture, and seek solutions to empower our ability to identify our needs. | I am grateful for the personal moments I spend with the team. With every interaction, I learn more about the passion behind our mission and the hope it brings to others. | |||
8 - One thing very valuable to me is feedback. If I can understand what I could be doing differently, and what I should continue to do, I can better understand steps I need to take to achieve my goals, or assist others with theirs. My goal is to be more fearless in my growth. | I’ve noticed a pattern of overcoming adversity in my life. Throughout the hardships, I have sought healing, and opportunities to overcome. I found mentors at a church to guide me, sought to understand how to build healthy and prosperous relationships, placed myself into therapy, sought space to rebuild myself when necessary, pursued continuous healing in my family, changed the direction of my education to better fit my passions, and left abuse to provide a safe home for my son and me. | |||
7 - Knowledge empowers me to have the skills to carry out what I’m passionate about. I would like to challenge myself to learn new subjects, as I often find myself not having spare time. | My mother is a stalwart, and I am grateful for everything she’s been gracious enough to teach me. Through her example, I have learned to cherish and seek deeper solutions and knowledge about the world we live in, and the people we are here with. | |||
8 - Unless I feel I have enough knowledge about a subject, I tend to be more submissive in sharing my thoughts. Though, my values and passion set me on fire. Sometimes that means accepting that my path, even if popular, is not best. | I’ve always been a different from the rest of my family, and I’ve found that it has been an asset, (also a burden at times), to us as a whole. We have learned to challenge each other, engage in healthy conflict, and work through our problems with a foundation of love. | |||
8 - I love to work, and I love the feeling of accomplishment. Though I can feel intimidated at times, it is very important for me to reach out and simply ask for help or clarification. If my work is going to have an impact on others, I know that my mind alone is not enough. | I am passionate about the work I have done for myself and in the public and non-profit sectors. I have the aptitude and intellectual skills to identify with others, unravel circumstances, and discover and obtain resources for the betterment of their lives. | |||
6 - I have a very hard time with my focus. With so many distractions, (and a bit because I become bored), I often jump between tasks without completion. My goal is to create a system that works for my attention, and optimizes productivity in my work. | 💙 I read once that you can either sit on your bed and think about the things you have to do, or you can get up and do it. In my early adulthood, I worked 60-70 hours a week, remodeled my house, raised a toddler, and gave at least 10 hours a week of volunteer work to my community simultaneously because I simply chose to get up and do it. I can’t say that I still have that same energy, but I do have the confidence to persist. | |||
8 - I do love chaos. I feel that I have a skill set to adapt and find solutions quickly and under pressure. The challenges teach me to understand situations as a whole, and not simply as an isolated part. | When I was in college, I ran a popular bar in town. The chaos of the bar taught me problem solving, communication, and grit. In every situation, we have the power to decide the outcome. |