Tamara Hamai
Interview Posted By: Ashley Smith
1. Can you tell us a little about your background? i.e. Where you grew up, what education do you have, a summary of your resume, did you always want to do what you are doing now, when did you start to become interested in STEM, what internships/ volunteering
TH: I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, in Palo Alto. I first became interested in psychology in high school, as I was struggling to cope with adolescence. It was a trying time in my life and I knew that I had an excellent childhood in a resource-rich geographic location. I wanted to become a psychologist to help adolescents with “real” problems survive adolescence (i.e., those from less advantaged and possibly more traumatic childhoods). I went to the University of Puget Sound for my undergraduate degree (majoring in Psychology and minoring in music). A professor introduced me to research and hired me as a Research Assistant. I fell in love with research and developed an interest in how parents could improve their children’s lives throughout development. Next, I went to graduate school at Claremont Graduate University and received both my Master’s and Doctorate in Applied Developmental Psychology. Statistics and research really centered themselves in my life at this point. I have held many jobs, internships, and volunteer positions. For the sake of brevity, I will only mention my current position, as the founder and President of Hamai Consulting. We conduct research and evaluation studies to improve the well-being of children and families.
2. What exactly IS your job? What do you do on a day to day basis?
TH: I am President of Hamai Consulting. This means I have many different roles, only some of which relate to STEM. I operate the organization; thus, I do all of the marketing, sales, human resources, accounting, and other administrative work. The primary aspects of my job, however, are service delivery. I design studies to examine if nonprofits are delivering services as designed and promised, what nonprofits are doing well, and how they can improve (called implementation evaluation). I also design studies to examine the outcomes and impact that the nonprofits are having for their participants. For example, changes in academic attainment, attitudes, knowledge, health status and behaviors, and emotional well-being. I also conduct traditional/applied research studies on education, child maltreatment, parenting, and child custody.
3. How does STEM relate to your job?How do you use the information you learned from your degree in your job?
TH: Developmental psychology is a STEM field. I use the information I learned from my degree, along with the scientific method and recent research, to further the knowledge and application of knowledge in the science of human development.
4. Have you faced any discrimination/ challenges being a woman in a stem field? If so, how did you deal with it? Do you have any advice for up and coming women in STEM?
TH: Yes. Luckily, psychology is one of the few STEM fields that is predominantly female (amongst students and early- to mid-career folks only. The older generations are still mostly men). However, I still face challenges of being a woman. My assertiveness and desire to produce high-quality work have often been misinterpreted as being difficult, intimidating, and not good for team work. I once had a boss push me out of my job because I was not the passive woman that he expected in his department. In classrooms (when I was teaching at universities), I was almost always seen as a student by faculty and students who did not yet know me. Being a young woman seemed discordant with being a professor. My advice would be to develop relationships with mentors who constantly challenge and support you to be better than you are. People who you can be honest with and will be honest with you. Take everything as a lesson for how to become better, even if it is negative.
5. What is the best and worst part of your job? What do you look forward to in your job on a day to day basis? What do you wish you could change?
TH: The worst part is the business operations aspects, like the finances and paperwork. The best part is designing new studies and seeing them executed. I love the research and evaluation work. I really enjoy working with the clients and seeing the good work that organizations are doing for people. I wish the business could afford to hire people to handle more of the business/administrative work.
6. How do you balance your work and personal life? Any secrets or advice you’d like to share?
TH: I have been better recently. I do not work weekends and rarely work nights. I schedule 4 weeks of vacation every year. The only way to have balance is to set boundaries and stick to them. Always prioritize the important people in your life over your work. Schedule your work time and stick to it. Schedule your down time and stick to it. Always take at least 1 vacation a year, where you are completely disconnected from your work.
7. What do you define success as?
TH: Feeling free. Having strong, positive relationships with people who make you the best person you can be. Having a positive impact on other people’s lives.
8. What is one personality trait that you think is universally important for a successful career?
TH: Persistence. Never giving up and taking the opportunities that are presented to you, even if they don’t look like what you expect them to. Always trying to move forward, no matter what life gives you.
9. Who was a mentor to you throughout your career? (can be more than one!) What did they teach you? How did they impact your life?
TH: I didn’t have mentors for a long time. I only recently have gotten some. For this reason, I have actively tried to act as a mentor for others. I would have achieved much more in less time if I had mentors. Now, I have Chris Ducker and Michael Port as mentors for my business. They are transforming my business knowledge and helping me become a better CEO.
10. What do you think is the best advice you've ever received ? What advice would you give your younger self if you had the chance? What’s one piece of advice you can pass on to us?
TH: You choose how you react and respond to things in life. Learn from the bad things in life, but don’t let them give you lasting pain. Forgive everyone, including yourself, for everything and focus on moving toward your best life. Let go of people who do not make your life better.
TH: I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, in Palo Alto. I first became interested in psychology in high school, as I was struggling to cope with adolescence. It was a trying time in my life and I knew that I had an excellent childhood in a resource-rich geographic location. I wanted to become a psychologist to help adolescents with “real” problems survive adolescence (i.e., those from less advantaged and possibly more traumatic childhoods). I went to the University of Puget Sound for my undergraduate degree (majoring in Psychology and minoring in music). A professor introduced me to research and hired me as a Research Assistant. I fell in love with research and developed an interest in how parents could improve their children’s lives throughout development. Next, I went to graduate school at Claremont Graduate University and received both my Master’s and Doctorate in Applied Developmental Psychology. Statistics and research really centered themselves in my life at this point. I have held many jobs, internships, and volunteer positions. For the sake of brevity, I will only mention my current position, as the founder and President of Hamai Consulting. We conduct research and evaluation studies to improve the well-being of children and families.
2. What exactly IS your job? What do you do on a day to day basis?
TH: I am President of Hamai Consulting. This means I have many different roles, only some of which relate to STEM. I operate the organization; thus, I do all of the marketing, sales, human resources, accounting, and other administrative work. The primary aspects of my job, however, are service delivery. I design studies to examine if nonprofits are delivering services as designed and promised, what nonprofits are doing well, and how they can improve (called implementation evaluation). I also design studies to examine the outcomes and impact that the nonprofits are having for their participants. For example, changes in academic attainment, attitudes, knowledge, health status and behaviors, and emotional well-being. I also conduct traditional/applied research studies on education, child maltreatment, parenting, and child custody.
3. How does STEM relate to your job?How do you use the information you learned from your degree in your job?
TH: Developmental psychology is a STEM field. I use the information I learned from my degree, along with the scientific method and recent research, to further the knowledge and application of knowledge in the science of human development.
4. Have you faced any discrimination/ challenges being a woman in a stem field? If so, how did you deal with it? Do you have any advice for up and coming women in STEM?
TH: Yes. Luckily, psychology is one of the few STEM fields that is predominantly female (amongst students and early- to mid-career folks only. The older generations are still mostly men). However, I still face challenges of being a woman. My assertiveness and desire to produce high-quality work have often been misinterpreted as being difficult, intimidating, and not good for team work. I once had a boss push me out of my job because I was not the passive woman that he expected in his department. In classrooms (when I was teaching at universities), I was almost always seen as a student by faculty and students who did not yet know me. Being a young woman seemed discordant with being a professor. My advice would be to develop relationships with mentors who constantly challenge and support you to be better than you are. People who you can be honest with and will be honest with you. Take everything as a lesson for how to become better, even if it is negative.
5. What is the best and worst part of your job? What do you look forward to in your job on a day to day basis? What do you wish you could change?
TH: The worst part is the business operations aspects, like the finances and paperwork. The best part is designing new studies and seeing them executed. I love the research and evaluation work. I really enjoy working with the clients and seeing the good work that organizations are doing for people. I wish the business could afford to hire people to handle more of the business/administrative work.
6. How do you balance your work and personal life? Any secrets or advice you’d like to share?
TH: I have been better recently. I do not work weekends and rarely work nights. I schedule 4 weeks of vacation every year. The only way to have balance is to set boundaries and stick to them. Always prioritize the important people in your life over your work. Schedule your work time and stick to it. Schedule your down time and stick to it. Always take at least 1 vacation a year, where you are completely disconnected from your work.
7. What do you define success as?
TH: Feeling free. Having strong, positive relationships with people who make you the best person you can be. Having a positive impact on other people’s lives.
8. What is one personality trait that you think is universally important for a successful career?
TH: Persistence. Never giving up and taking the opportunities that are presented to you, even if they don’t look like what you expect them to. Always trying to move forward, no matter what life gives you.
9. Who was a mentor to you throughout your career? (can be more than one!) What did they teach you? How did they impact your life?
TH: I didn’t have mentors for a long time. I only recently have gotten some. For this reason, I have actively tried to act as a mentor for others. I would have achieved much more in less time if I had mentors. Now, I have Chris Ducker and Michael Port as mentors for my business. They are transforming my business knowledge and helping me become a better CEO.
10. What do you think is the best advice you've ever received ? What advice would you give your younger self if you had the chance? What’s one piece of advice you can pass on to us?
TH: You choose how you react and respond to things in life. Learn from the bad things in life, but don’t let them give you lasting pain. Forgive everyone, including yourself, for everything and focus on moving toward your best life. Let go of people who do not make your life better.