Get to Know CSDFEA Vice President Revannah Restua
/
The County has 11 great Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). They are each led by a respective board of directors. Get to know our County of San Diego Filipino-American Employees’ Association Vice President Revannah Restua.
Q: How long have you worked for the County and what departments have you worked for?
A: It’s a long story… I’ve worked for the County on-and-off since Oct. 2015, but I volunteered at my local County Library (2014-2015) while in high school. The first job I’ve ever had was as a student worker for the Probation Department (2015-2019) while I was working on obtaining my bachelor’s degree in finance at SDSU. While at Probation, I had the opportunity to work in HR and eventually gain experience working with finance and contracts.
Upon graduating in 2019, I didn’t know if remaining with the County was really what I wanted or if it was something that just felt comfortable for me, so I decided to explore the private sector.
It was all fun and games until it wasn’t. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed to me a lot of things I didn’t like about the private sector — as well as how much I value and am motivated by public service. So, I came back in October 2020 as a temporary office assistant at the Public Health Lab to support HHSA’s T3 (test, trace, treat) efforts.
Soon after, I secured a permanent position as an account clerk with Auditor & Controller’s Property Tax Services (2020-2022). I was promoted to account clerk specialist with HHSA Financial and Support Services Division’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) accounting team (2022-2023), where I got to see the financials for many of the services and supplies that impacted my day-to-day while I had worked for the T3 team.
In February 2023, I promoted within EOC to my current role as an admin analyst. I currently oversee 18 unique County projects that were submitted to FEMA for reimbursement of costs which supported the County’s COVID-19 response initiatives and programs. In the beginning, my role was primarily focused with preparing and reconciling cost reports and projections, ensuring contract and project compliance with County, State, and Federal policies, and supporting County groups/departments with categorizing their FEMA-eligible COVID-related expenditures. Once those costs were submitted to FEMA, my focus shifted to facilitating the obligation of funds from FEMA by responding to their Requests for Information (RFIs) and collecting, reviewing, and submitting necessary supplemental information for all costs submitted.
Q: What’s your workplace superpower?
A: I believe my workplace superpower is my humility. I’ve burnt out enough times in the past, trying to present myself as someone who can do it all. I now know that I can’t do everything on my own, nor can I be everything to everyone. I strive to be very self-aware about my strengths, weaknesses, and limits, and to be transparent with my team about how I’m doing and what I need help with to ensure that we can accomplish our shared goals.
Because I’m often the youngest in most professional settings, I used to feel insecure to present as anything short of perfect because I felt like I had to fight for people to take me seriously. But once I let go of that fear, and even allowed my personality and emotions to shine through more, I found that I actually became more productive and felt more supported by my team since their perceptions of me were more congruent with my own realities.
Q. Who are your mentors? Who inspires you?
A: Although there are numerous people I could thank for the wisdom they’ve imparted onto me, I would be remiss to not mention the outgoing HHSA Group Finance Director—and new Chief Financial Officer of the County of San Mateo Human Services Agency—Ardee Apostol.
I met Ardee back when I was a student worker for Probation; I had heard about CSDFEA’s Admin Analyst workshops and he was leading the first one I ever attended at the COC.
He was such a charismatic public speaker, knowledgeable about so many different things beyond his job responsibilities, and open about sharing about his professional experiences. I mustered up the courage to chat with him after the workshop and he kindly addressed all my questions in-length, provided me resources I had never heard of, and affirmed to me that I was on the right track to becoming an admin analyst. It was the first time within County walls that I felt like I was not looked at as merely a student—a kid—but as an equal in the workplace, and it was a great confidence boost.
Q: What is the best advice you’ve received from a mentor?
A: I’ve received plenty of great advice from my mentors, but I keep a sticky note on my primary work monitor as my “North Star” in my approach towards work. It is a quote from poet and civil rights activist Audre Lorde: “When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.”
As I mentioned, I used to let the fear of seeming incompetent hold me back, but I’ve come to understand that I will never know everything, nor should I, and that is my resourcefulness, not my resources, that will help me accomplish my goals.
Q: What are some resources that you find useful and recommend to others?
A: ERGs (obviously) aside, the first resource that can’t be overlooked is the Employee Assistance Program. It’s a great first-stop for people who may not know where to start or feel like they have no one to talk to regarding their mental health, concerns with work, financial advice, legal assistance, etc. I’ve used it multiple times over the years.
With the weather warming up, I think anyone who would like to get more sun and be more active should consider participating in at least one of Parks and Rec’s Experience the Outdoors programs. I didn’t grow up with avid campers, and having to determine which camping equipment to buy or pass on is such a daunting task for me just to experience camping; I tried the First Time Camping Program and it was so awesome to have the guesswork taken out. It was such an amazing new way to experience a County park that I had never been to before with loved ones!
Another resource, although not County-specific, is the discounted ClassPass membership through Kaiser Permanente. In-person fitness classes are a fun way to find new physical activities to love and hangout with friends, but they’re expensive, so I love having discounted classes (along with the free, unlimited video workouts to do at home)!
Q: Who are you outside of work and types of activities do you enjoy?
A: Outside of work and CSDFEA, I love to go out, but ideally, I want to be home by 9 p.m. Outside, I’m very high energy and social and I love attending community events and supporting local-owned businesses, restaurants, and coffee shops. Few things make me happier than hearing someone from behind a counter go, “Hey, Revannah!” then catching up with them and introducing them to whoever I’m with. But if I’m willing to stay up past 9 p.m., I love going out to trivia nights, karaoke and concerts with friends. At home, I recoup all the energy I’ve exhausted by cooking and baking, which I find to be very meditative and rewarding.
CSDFEA Members received a proclamation from the Board of Supervisors
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I am very passionate about advocating for Gen Z/the emerging workforce, destigmatizing mental health, Asian-American experiences, human rights, and helping others recognize their own superpowers.
Q: Tell us about your ERG.
A: CSDFEA is the second-oldest ERG in the County. My mom was actually an active member back in the early ‘80s and we have chatted about how much it has evolved with the times. One of CSDFEA’s values is “bayanihan,” which literally means "being in a community" in Tagalog and refers to the spirit of communal unity and cooperation. From personal experience, I know I would not be where I am today if not for those who paved the way for others to follow and for all the people who supported me when I was lost or afraid.
At CSDFEA, we strive to be a good member of our bayan or community and support our members by helping them find their way, providing resources to help them accomplish their goals, advocating for them while also amplifying their voices, and connecting them to not only each other, but also the San Diego community at large.
Q: How has being in your ERG improved your experience working at the County?
CSDFEA members at a Philippine Independence Day celebration at the County Operations Center
A: Being a part of CSDFEA (as well as the other incredible ERGs) is one of my most fulfilling experiences while working at the County. If not for ERGs, I don’t think I would have had the opportunity to meet and get to know other County employees, or even know of other County departments outside of my workplace.
Even when I had left for the private sector, I remained in contact with the friends I had made through ERGs and they were the ones who informed me of changes within the County and opportunities I could apply for. Because ERGs primarily operate outside of the workplace, they really feel less like a formal work resource and more like a bunch of friends getting together with the shared goal of helping others, serving their community, and ultimately having fun every step of the way.
Q: What are your 3 favorite places to eat in San Diego? Or what is your most favorite meal?
A: As much as I want to gatekeep some of my favorites to myself, I’ll reward the people who took the time to read up to this point with this knowledge. 😉 You will often find me hanging out with loved ones at Galu Café and Delicatessen in Chula Vista, Friends of Friends in National City, and The Rose Wine Bar in South Park. If you ever see me there, don’t be afraid to say hi!
Q: Who was the top artist from your Spotify Wrapped? Or favorite artist to listen to right now if you don’t have Spotify.
A: My favorite mainstream artist right now is Beyonce. I am so inspired by her unapologetic confidence, her courage to push boundaries—despite the naysayers, what her own fans may be expecting of her, and even her own doubts—and the way she fearlessly uses her platform to address sexism, racism, LGBTQIA+ rights, and mental health. It blows my mind that she has remained a pillar in pop culture over the span of my entire lifetime, whereas my goal is to retire after 27 years. As Beyonce does, I hope to be able to adapt with the times yet still find ways to move the needle, and someday see the lasting impact I’ve had on the world (or at least, my community) by doing what I love, while simultaneously remaining authentic to myself and loving myself through it all.
Also read: