Meet Monica Larson

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Monica Larson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Monica, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

I obtained my resilience from the lessons my mother nurtured. She instilled in me to do what I have to do to make the important things in life happen. This served my extremely well when I decided to return to school and applied the lesson to my education, which I took to the highest level.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I was born in Chicago, my twin sister and I were the youngest two of six children being raised by an amazing single mother. I worked as a paralegal and assisted with the research and preparation of cases across the spectrum of criminal activity including violent crimes, sexual assaults, property crimes, and drug trafficking.

I later worked corporate in various capacities, as a project manager overseeing research and development teams. As a Sales Representative negotiating and executing contracts. As a Senior Specialist managing compliance tracking, coordinating site safety inspections, and designed and administered a nationwide database. While working corporately, I volunteered nights and weekends with my local police department for several years. I was assigned a partner, squad car and uniform. I completed assigned tasks to assist police officers.

I continued my education earning various degrees. Those included an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice, a Bachelor’s Degree Summa Cum Laude in Criminal Justice with an emphasis on Crime Scene Investigation, a Master’s Degree in Forensic Psychology and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. As a psychologist, I treated sex offenders, victims of crime and traditional clientele. I am currently a political candidate for city council.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Perserverance, integrity and interpersonal skills are the most impactful skills that have benefitted me in my journey. Advice that I can recommend to individuals who are early in their journey, would be to hold dear their moral compass, do not compromise and stay the course. There might be obstacles but overcome them. Give yourself grace and do not allow negative self-talk by yourself or others to dissuade you. You will reach your path and succeed.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

My mother instilled perseverance and a “can do” attitude. She worked diligently several jobs to support our family of six, all while attending college. She role modeled determination, faith and integrity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://votedrmonicalarson.com/

Image Credits

Connie Palen
Adrian Nastase