After 5 years of working for a congresswoman on Capitol Hill, Kenya, a Brooklyn native, is looking forward to the next chapter in her life.
Her new post with the New York City government promises to be the challenge she’s been preparing for; but before she leaves it all behind, the DC transplant couldn’t move forward without first reflecting on the good, the bad, and the ugly from her time on Capitol Hill. Here they are in her own words:
Lessons I Learned Working on Capitol Hill
1. You have to either be a Sociopath or have Aspergers (or a nice combination of both) in order to thrive in this place.
2. It’s not about who or what you know, it’s who knows you.
3. This place will teach you how to survive and thrive in pure chaos. It will give you the balls (real or perceived) to conquer fear and circumstance.
4. Bowties should remain solely for black tie events and selling bean pies.
5. The smallest people have the biggest egos.
6. The road to hell really is paved with good intentions. Meaning everyone here believes that there is a means to an end and that end will be for the greater good.
7. There’s a huge difference between potential energy and kinetic energy. You can have all the potential in the world, but it’s useless if you’re not doing anything with it.
8. There are a lot of overworked and underpaid staffers who work their butts off for Members of Congress and constituents who don’t appreciate their contributions to the world. My hats are off to all those who could have been somewhere else making lots of money, but instead chose to sacrifice personal gain for public service.
Thank you for the memories Washington. #BKHereICome
