When issues, like the housing problems in Hutchinson that propelled Piros de Carvalho onto the city council, are long-term, adaptive challenges, a two-year city council term has limited impact on problems that were generations in the making. This doesn’t discourage her. “As someone who plans to stay here for many years, I have a vested interest in serving the community and making it into the kind of place I want to stay,” she says. “Why wait for my golden years [to get involved]?” Celebrating small successes can rekindle motivation. Just by hosting monthly discussions with community members, Piros de Carvalho acknowledges she’s already made a difference in Hutchinson by making the city council more accessible.
key role in the local young professionals organization in order to devote more time to Hutchinson as a city council member. The short-term sacrifices have been worthwhile, she says. “I want to inspire people my age to step up and get involved,” Piros de Carvalho says. Whether it’s rising at 4:30 a.m. every day to steal a few quiet hours of meditation like Martin does, baking cookies or hitting the pavement to run out frustration, keeping personal batteries charged is imperative. Leaning on trusted support networks for guidance is another way to deal with the stress of handling high expectations.
In Topeka, De La Isla feels support as well.
“You can literally crack under pressure,” Martin says.
“There are tons of people who are very excited to see somebody young and working in the community at a grassroots level to make the community a better place,” she says.
“It’s not good for yourself, not good for the community, not good for what you’re trying to do.” Bouncing difficult problems off a mentor has helped her deal with new situations.
TIME FOR SERVICE The significant time investment of public service requires a difficult balancing act with so many other responsibilities on the line. The pressure for young people to work long hours to establish themselves in their careers can be immense, Piros de Carvalho says.
Yet, seeing more young people involved in civic life is something all three women yearn for. There should be more young people in public life, Piros de Carvalho believes, but she knows elected office isn’t the right fit for everyone. “Figure out what you’re passionate about and channel your energy into giving back through that channel,” she says.
The typical work week for De La Isla averages 90 hours of combined community and career commitments.
There is no time like the present, De La Isla says.
Tight schedules can mean that personal commitments take a backseat. Vacation seems like a distant memory to Martin. Passion for her work makes it difficult to step away, but “burnout is a real possibility.”
“Just do it,” she says. “A lot of people feel so consumed with thinking they have to be powerful and have their stuff together before they do anything. Just do it.”
De La Isla has responded to increased demands on her time by building more structure into her personal life to protect family time.
For these three women, their involvement in public service reflects a passion for their communities founded on a deep belief in the imperative of community service.
“Sundays are off limits,” she says, even for church, which she now attends on Saturday instead. Acknowledging personal constraints has been important for Piros de Carvalho, who has cut in half the number of boards on which she serves, scaled back yoga classes and even relinquished a cherished
If more young people who care about what happens find the strength to lend their hands and voices to their communities, it’s hard to imagine that more progress will not be attainable. While public service is laden with sacrifices, the sacrifices that may result from doing nothing might bear a higher cost.
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