Currently listening to: All You Wanted – Michelle Branch
I’m sinking slowlySo hurry, hold meYour hand is all I have to keep me hanging onPlease, can you tell me?So I can finally seeWhere you go when you’re gone
Right before the pandemic turned the world upside down, I was offered a position at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It was one of those career moments that made me stop and say, “Wow.” I felt incredibly honored — after all, it’s the CDC. The prestige, the impact, the weight of doing meaningful work on a national scale… it was all there on the table.
But after careful consideration, I declined… even though I originally applied for the position.
Not because I wasn’t grateful, and not because I didn’t think I could do it — but because I felt like at that moment, California is where my home was. The position would’ve required me to relocate to Georgia, and as much as I respect the work being done in Atlanta, I just couldn’t see myself living there.
My mom was… less than thrilled. She reminded me — repeatedly — that there’s a large Korean population in Atlanta. Lots of churches. Lots of community. But at the end of the day, this wasn’t about making her proud or comfortable — it was about what felt right for me in that moment.
And honestly? Looking at how things have played out recently, especially with all the funding cuts and restructuring at the CDC, I can’t help but feel like I dodged a bullet. Sometimes the opportunities that don’t pan out are blessings in disguise.
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