Tawana Young
Title: Senior Administrative Assistant.
Duties: "I help Dr. Shattil keep the lab running
smoothly." Duties include ordering supplies and equipment,
having equipment repaired, maintaining general upkeep of the
lab, assisting with grant preparation, tracking grant budgets,
coordinating with the TSRI International Office to keep team
members' visas up-to-date, coordinating with TSRI Human Resources
to bring in new team members and maintain personnel records,
submitting request for payments, and generally helping out
those in the lab and others in the building. "My most recent
challenge has been helping Dr. del Pozo, who has recently
been promoted to an assistant professor, start up his new
lab."
Favorite Parts of Job: "The best part of the job
is the people! I enjoy nurturing people in the lab, and helping
them get through another day. They know if they ask me to
do something, it will be taken care of. And I enjoy spoiling
them by bringing in chocolate..."
Challenges: "Saying 'goodbye' when a lab member has
finished his or her scheduled training."
Started at TSRI: 1994
Background: Grew up in Michigan. Moved to San Diego
in 1977. Worked for General Dynamics for 11 years; a public
school district for a year (in a brief stint back in Michigan);
and a research department at General Atomics for a year. She
applied for a job at TSRI because she was "looking for more
of a challenge."
Family Life: Remarried in May 2003. The newlyweds
live with her daughter, age 19, and her son, age 15, and spend
weekends and summer breaks with his daughter, age 7.
Extracurriculars: "I like the simple things in life."
Helping out in her son's school and sports leagues. Ushering
and working in the nursery at her church. Family vacations,
especially road trips to places like the Grand Canyon, Las
Vegas, and campsites outside of Los Angeles and San Francisco.
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"The best part of the job is the people!" says Senior Administrative
Assistant Tawana Young. Photo by Kevin Fung.
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