Victoria Mace

Experience from an early age in restaurants taught me the value of hard work. After twelve
years in the hospitality field, my takeaways were about teamwork, mutual support and building a
meaningful experience beyond a great plate of pasta. How small kindnesses can make someone’s day.
After returning to academics, I was fortunate to work in professional theater. It began with an
internship in properties. Later, I worked as a stagehand, a scenic artist, and a scenic carpenter. I
gained valuable upgrades to my understanding of teams, starting projects and seeing them to
completion, the use of a good postmortem, in addition to the specific skill set required for each
department.

Next, life changes directed me toward administrative support. I worked with agencies, and for
companies as a permanent staff member, who provided opportunities to learn from a variety of
business cultures where I improved and updated my support skills and synthesized all those earlier
experiences for a wider audience.

My current exploration involves questioning what it means to be an elder. Looking toward the
future, how does my idea of retirement differ from sociocultural prescriptions and expectations? How
can I leverage technology to blend my work history? What skills will allow me to build a wholistic remote
career and find creative ways to stay vibrant and involved as I experience more years? How can I find
meaningful ways to give back now that I have the time to do so? What's next in learning? How can I
help? What small kindness might make someone’s day?