Rachelle Maricq, of Caltrans District 4, has always held giving back to the community as a value high on the list of what is important in life. The importance of collective responsibility was instilled in her at a young age by her father who was a community psychologist. Rachelle has always enjoyed participating in Our Promise (formerly CSECC), which she calls a “very enriching and powerful experience”. This past campaign, Rachelle had the chance to engage with the community further as Campaign Liaison with United Way of the Bay Area. This position allowed her the opportunity to speak to community members all around the Bay Area and encourage them to give back to the community.

“I feel very fortunate to have been able to serve as the Caltrans District 4, Campaign Liaison and to have been part of an effort that has such a positive impact and to see the real outcomes of these efforts”, she said, “All of the collective efforts whether they be volunteering for an event, a donation of money or opening up the opportunity to let staff participate, contribute to making a big difference.”

During Rachelle’s time in State Service, she spent eight years working in External Affairs doing Community Outreach and also served as the Regional Mentor Coordinator for the ‘Governor’s Mentor Initiative’ program matching youth with State Workers as mentors/lunch buddies. Since completing her time as a Campaign liaison, Rachelle continues to give back and engage with the community by volunteering, most recently by joining United Way of the Bay Area volunteers to help more than 500 young job seekers attending the SF Summer Jobs+ Resource Fair increase their chances of landing a summer job.

Through her experiences Rachelle has truly learned the meaning of Living United. “The kinds of programs that the Our Promise (formerly CSECC) campaign and United Way support are a life-line to many people”, she said, “They reinforce the concept that when we work together many things become possible.”