Being worthy of the work

There are moments when, despite the positions we hold in life and the work we have accomplished, we question whether we are good enough. I have experienced this myself.

I hold a juris degree from a reputable law school, have spent years building my professional experience, and have tackled many responsibilities in government

Yet even as an Undersecretary at the Department of Justice, there are days when I question whether I am doing enough, whether I know well enough, or whether I am making the difference I once hoped I’d make.

They call this imposter syndrome: the nagging feeling that, despite our talents, what we have achieved and what others see in us, we may be exposed as a fraud one day.

For me, this feeling comes not from a lack of ambition, nor for lack of competence, but from the sheer weight of persistently wanting to do something meaningful.

When you genuinely care about the work, you become acutely aware of how much there is still to learn, how many problems remain unresolved, and how many people are counting on you to get things right.

The more you understand the responsibilities entrusted to you, the more you recognize the limits of what you know.

This is why the recent public discussion surrounding the appointment of a bright young college graduate to public office has given me pause.

Questions about qualifications, experience, and readiness for public responsibility are legitimate. Public office is a public trust, and appointments must withstand hard scrutiny.

Competence matters. But so do integrity, accountability, and the proven ability to deliver results.

But perhaps we should also make room for a more thoughtful conversation about what qualifies a person to serve, how qualifications are assessed, and what we ultimately expect from those entrusted with public responsibility.

A law degree and professional experience are important. They provide a foundation for the work, but qualifications do not automatically make anyone an effective leader.

Neither should youth automatically be equated with incompetence, just as seniority should never be mistaken for competence. Qualifications may open the door, but what we do once we walk through it counts just as much.

And good intentions alone are not enough; they should be matched by preparation, sound judgment, humility, and measurable results. Intentions shape how we approach the work: whether we enter public service to be noticed, or to serve and make a difference.

Public service is not having all the answers. It is being humble enough to admit we fully do not know, having the courage to ask questions, and the discipline to keep on learning. It is surrounding ourselves with people who know more than we do, listening to those whose lives we affect, and changing course when things go wrong.

I may not always feel good enough. But I hope that the feeling will continue to remind me that the work is bigger than any title I may hold, and that the responsibility to serve well does not end when the appointment is secured.

At the end of the day, public service should never be about proving that we deserve a position. It should be about proving, through our actions, that the position is being put to good use. That is how we become worthy of our work.

Because the true measure of public service is not simply who we are when we receive the title, but what we choose to do with the responsibility that comes with it.