Family, Fellowship and Work-Life Fit: The Art of Having Almost Everything
Kate Birnbryer White | June 24, 2023
Rachel Perez, WorkLife Consultant in MSU’s WorkLife Office, is perfecting the art of having almost everything. Perez went back to school last fall to get her master’s degree after a 15-year break to start her family. With her kids growing more independent and with the support of her husband, she decided she and her family now have the space for her to resume her studies. “I planned to get a master’s in human resources and labor relations after I finished my undergraduate degree but just prior to graduation, we found out we were pregnant with our first child. As a first-time mom, I chose to make my family a priority at that time and put my education on hold.” Last summer she saw a window of opportunity. “My husband had recently finished his degree and our kids weren’t yet ready for college. I knew that as a family, we could figure out how to make it happen,” shares Perez.
I had to be really honest with my family about my aspirations and the support that I would need to work full-time, go to school, and still be there for my family. I knew I couldn’t do it all at 100% and I couldn’t do it alone.
How does she do it?
Planning and candid conversations with her family paved the way. “I had to be really honest with my family about my aspirations and the support that I would need to work full-time, go to school, and still be there for my family. I knew I couldn’t do it all at 100% and I couldn’t do it alone,” says Perez. In addition to the support of her family, exercise is what she turns to as a way to stay healthy and centered. If she isn’t playing volleyball or teaching Zumba, she’s out running on campus two-three miles at a time. “Exercise is so important to me. I know my time is limited, so if I choose to do something for myself, it’s usually exercise. It clears my mind, lowers my stress, and gives me the energy I need to take care of my other commitments.” comments Perez.
Family support
In addition to Perez’ drive and determination, her kids help to keep the household running by being accountable for specific chores. Perez’ husband, Raul, fully supports her dreams and is her biggest fan, valued partner, and informal counselor. “At first, I was thinking I would just take one class at a time, but my husband knows me well. He knew I was capable and would be happier with two classes, so I took his advice and went with two courses. I am really glad I did. Outside of classes, I spend about 9-11 hours studying during the week, mostly after the kids go to bed. With the whole family doing their part, we make it work,” reveals Perez.
Finances and Fellowship
Getting a master’s degree is a significant financial commitment. Perez received a helping hand from the Women of Color Student Fellowship. The Michigan State Women of Color Community (WOCC) of which Perez is a member, offers an annual fellowship to a small number of WOCC members who are also enrolled in credit bearing courses at MSU and who share a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). “I’m very thankful for the support of WOCC, this fellowship is really appreciated and helps to ease the financial requirements that impact me and my family.” Perez states.
Established in 2018 by members of the Institutional Diversity: Excellence in Action or IDEA coordinators team, the WOCC was established as a social, networking, and professional resource for women of color on MSU’s campus. WOCC is meant to be a unifying term and is inclusive of Black, Arab, Asian, Chicana/e/x, Latina/e/x, Native, Indigenous, Pacific Islander and biracial/multiracial identities. This community is open to all administrators, faculty, academic specialists, and staff colleagues.
My goal is to utilize my degree to support other women of color throughout their careers so that others can live their best lives and achieve a healthy WorkLife fit.
DEI in her DNA
There are a lot of commonalities in the work that Perez does in her role as a WorkLife Consultant and the work of the Women of Color Community. “We are both providing a place for women of color to connect and advance in their personal and professional lives.” Perez shares. She is fortunate that her job fits her values. Perez is driven by a desire to improve recruitment, retention, and the advancement of MSU faculty and staff. She advocates for inclusion and equity in all the work that she does. Perez contends that a negative workplace culture can disproportionately impact women of color, so her focus is providing the support and resources needed for those individuals, and their units, to foster a well workplace that allows individuals to bring their whole selves to the workplace. She is proud to serve as a WorkLife Consultant and to be a member of the WOCC. “My goal is to utilize my degree to support other women of color throughout their careers so that others can live their best lives and achieve a healthy WorkLife fit,” says Perez.
Work-Life Fit
Perez also cites her colleagues and supervisor in the Work-life Office as playing an important role in her ability to balance all she does. “My teammates and supervisor are very supportive of my choice to return to school, and I really appreciate that. I’m also very fortunate to qualify for release time, through the APA contract, that I use to attend my classes during the workday. That also helps a lot!” says Perez. “So far, I’m pleased to see the pieces falling into place and I’m doing my best to minimize missing out on essential time with my husband, my kids, or my extended family,” shares Perez.
Sometimes she says no
In order to make her busy life work, one of the harder things that Perez had learn was to say “no.” “I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to do all the things I had been doing. I enjoy being active with kids and their school. I’m limiting my volunteer time for now. I can’t do everything. I save my free time to be with my husband, watch the kids participating in sports, and to fit exercise in for myself,” confides Perez. “For now, I must be strategic about what I say “yes” to and enjoy the limited quality time that I have to maintain work-life fit.
Request a consultation
If you’re interested in support to improve your college, unit or department’s work-life fit or you have some personal goals you’d like to talk through, request a consultation from the Work-life Office. A consultation is a meeting with a professional to seek advice, information, or referrals. In the Work-life Office, staff can help answer your work-life questions while assisting you and your family members with finding resources and solutions that work best for you! Consultations with the WorkLife Office help identify the right fit between your responsibilities at work and outside of work – we honor both your work and personal lives and want you to have the tools you need to navigate it all. The WorkLife Office also offers WorkLife List Servs, workplace well-being strategies and tools, webinars and presentations.
