Michelle Legaspi Sanchez, the Executive Director of the Chester County Fund for Women & Girls, speaks with VISTA Today about growing the youngest of six children born to immigrant parents.

Her leadership skills can be traced back to high school, when she played point guard on the basketball team and graduated as the valedictorian of her class. She also discusses the genesis of her passion for social issues and what lies ahead for the Fund.

Where did you grow up, Michelle?

I was born the youngest of six children in Lebanon, Pa., about a half-hour east of Hershey. My parents emigrated from the Philippines in the 1960s. My mother came to the United States to complete her medical residency, and my father came to join the Navy.

By the time I came along, my father had retired from the Navy, and my mother was working at the V.A. Medical Center in Lebanon.

What memories do you have of growing up in Lebanon?

Lebanon is beautiful and, in many ways, an idyllic place to grow up. It was pretty rural and pretty white, and as a big minority family, we were very close and remain close to this day.

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I attended Catholic school all the way through 12th grade. My friends from kindergarten are still my friends today. While I had a tight family circle, I had a tight church and school “family.” We knew them, and they knew us. My family and friends were my world.

What was it like being the youngest of six children?

My role as the last of six kids was always to observe and to learn what my siblings did well at and what they didn’t. I learned so much from them and still do. To this day, I walk around with all their voices in my head!

Did you play any sports when you were younger?

I played basketball. In fourth grade when I started to play basketball, I was pretty tall for my age. The coach played me at center. I stopped growing, however, and by the time I was in high school, I was playing point guard. I was also involved in geeky, smart-kid activities like student government and the school newspaper.

As a point guard, you had to lead. Did you enjoy being a leader?

I did! I liked controlling the action on the floor.

Did leadership come naturally for you?

I gravitated toward leadership my entire life. Growing up with the same group of 50 kids from kindergarten through 12th grade made it easy. I wasn’t afraid to speak up, and the adults around me trusted me. I always liked to respectfully challenge the status quo.

In sixth grade, the teachers were assembling the cast for the school’s annual Christmas pageant. They needed to cast Angel Gabriel, a role typically given to a boy. I raised my hand. They scratched their head at first, but said, “Why not?” I got the role.

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Being respectful was important to you back then. Why?

Being disrespectful is not my style. As an immigrant family living in a small rural community, my parents taught us there was a way to assert yourself. People won’t listen to you if you don’t have their trust or respect.

What kind of music were you listening to in high school?

I Love rap and hip-hop! My tastes haven’t changed much over the years. I love other music of my teenage years, as well, like Dave Matthews or Live. Rap and hip-hop are what I have most often playing on my Pandora station. It’s my go-to background music.

What was your first job?

I worked in a diner in Lebanon first as a hostess then waiting on tables for 1½ years. The diner had been around for 50-plus years and was regarded as “the” diner in Lebanon County. It was the epitome of Pennsylvania Dutch country.

The experience was such a culture shock because it forced me to exist outside my tight-knit family, church, and school circles and build bridges with people who were so different than me. I will never forget a customer’s chuckle when I asked him if he wanted gravy on the mashed potatoes of his pork and sauerkraut!

Were you a good student?

I was valedictorian of my high school class. My older siblings had done well in school, so I definitely felt there was a legacy to maintain. Plus, I had a natural curiosity and loved learning.

Where did you go to college?

Looking back, I wasn’t happy with my college search. My older siblings took a natural interest in guiding my search and went through a thorough process with me. They were all excited that I got into my top two school choices, University of Virginia and Haverford College.

However, I decided to go the other direction and selected Penn State, the school I regarded as my “safe” choice. In hindsight, if I had the selection process to do all over again, I would have pushed myself out of my comfort zone a little more.

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Did Penn State work out for you?

It didn’t. I found Penn State too big for my liking and never really felt anchored and never really found my footing. I transferred to Rosemont College on the Main Line after one year at Penn State and finished up my undergraduate degree in two years.

Was Rosemont was a better fit?

It was a better fit for where I was in my life. Rosemont was a tight community with caring professors. It also gave me a chance to continue my involvement with several nonprofits, an involvement which began in high school. I was also closer to home.

You finish your undergraduate degree. Then what?

I have always had a passion for social justice and health issues, but I hadn’t determined whether I would pursue my interests through social work or by medicine. My mother encouraged me to pursue a career in medicine. After a couple of years working in child welfare in Philadelphia, however, I determined I wanted to focus on social issues at a macro level.

Why the focus on social issues?

My passion, largely, has to do with how I was raised. From a very early age, my parents engrained in us kids that we had a moral duty and obligation to care for those on the margins.

What did you do with your passion?

I enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania and pursued a dual degree program, a Master’s in Social Work and a Master’s in Public Health. After we had our first child during the spring break of my first year, my husband, JP Sanchez, and I decided to move to West Chester to be closer to our families. He moved to Chester County from New York City when he was three, when his father started his legal career here.

As someone who had never lived in Chester County, I was an outsider and didn’t understand the county’s nonprofit landscape. Fortunately, my persistence and drive to dive in was well-received by a great network of collegial and passionate non-profit leaders. I met Pam Bryer, the founding executive director of Maternal and Child Health Consortium of Chester County (MCHC) and a founding board member of the Chester County Fund for Women and Girls. Pam gave me a wonderful introduction to Chester County’s nonprofit landscape and has been an incredible mentor ever since.

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How did you get to the Chester County Fund for Women & Girls?

After working at MCHC for several years, I wanted to focus my career on making social impact on a larger scale. In the summer of 2015, CCFWG created a new Director of Programs position to grow the organization’s grantmaking, education, and advocacy work.

It was a great fit for me. I started in June and had triplets in August! In September 2016, I stepped into the Executive Director position.

As you look into the next nine to twelve months, what are CCFWG’s opportunities and priorities?

There is so much going on, but there’s so much we have to wait on as well. Social policy is shifting at every level. We want to continue to educate the community about changes coming down the pike. We also need to position ourselves to be ready to support our grantees and advocate on behalf of the women and girls of our community.

In the past, we’ve been very focused on our philanthropic impact. Moving forward, however, we want to leverage the money we invest by being an advocate and support the work done by our grantees and, in the process, make our collective voice stronger.

The relationship we have with our elected officials is important. We’ve been meeting with elected officials to offer our intimate knowledge of the issues facing women and girls and as a gateway to the myriad of organizations serving women across the county.

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What are you focused on personally, Michelle?

I am fortunate my personal and professional life are so intertwined. I feel so invested. The work I do at home is my priority. I have five daughters and seeing them grow into sharp, passionate young women who dream big is a personal victory for me and my husband.

At work, I look for little victories that are signs of incremental change. More and more, I see that our reputation is shifting as a catalyst for action and convener.  Now more than ever, that needs to continue. We want to continue bringing the issues to the forefront to spark dialogue and action.

Finally, Michelle, what is the best piece of advice you ever received?

One saying that goes through my head a lot since coming into this leadership position is a Bible verse from Proverbs, “Pride comes before the fall.”

Leaders need to always check their ego and their intentions and ask themselves if what they are doing is for them or the greater good. By putting that check in place, I remain focused on my organization’s targets. It’s more important that something gets done than I be right.