Interview

Interview with Emily Herrell
Objective: Conduct interview with same person "shadowed" to better understand why they do what they do.
Location: Planned Parenthood [Downtown Phoenix Office]
Time: Tuesday 6 July, 2010

#1. What do you like or dislike about your job?
-I like how I get to work with so many dedicated volunteers as well as other staff members who are dedicated to Planned Parenthood & our mission. I also like how my job is very different day to day (the activities vary); sometimes I’m in the office, sometimes out in the community, & I get to travel a lot.

#2. How do you feel about working with others?
-I enjoy working with others, although I also enjoy working on solitary projects sometimes.

#3. How do you separate the personal from the professional?
-I have a difficult time separating the two sometimes. In my community I am totally the “Planned Parenthood lady” so it’s difficult for people to distinguish when I am representing Planned Parenthood or just being me. When I volunteer with other organizations I have to be careful to make sure people know that I am there as Emily, an individual, not as a representative of Planned Parenthood.

#4. After whom do you model your work behavior? Or do you most respect?
-There are several people at in my organization that I respect very much & try to mirror they way they deal with other people and stress.

#5. Have you reached out to mentors and has their mentorship system worked for you?
-Yes, I have benefitted greatly from formal and informal mentorship relationships. I consider my own supervisor to be a great mentor in political work, and other former supervisors of mine to be great mentors in other ways. I have also participated in a long-distance peer-to-peer mentorship program with Planned Parenthood for the past two years, in which I have had monthly phone meetings with a mentor who has been doing my job at a different Planned Parenthood affiliate for longer. I have really enjoyed this program.




This interview with Emily has been a great opportunity for me to gain deeper insight into some of the more intimate things that have influenced her career and development as a person!! I really enjoyed this experience :)