Westridge Alum from the Class of 1998 Ms. Sian Leong Adams has returned to Westridge as the new Director of Advancement. Her deep connection to and fondness for Westridge have given her a sense of  “coming back home.”

Ms. Adams describes her experience at Westridge as a “safe space” and celebrates the all-girls environment that allows Westridge students to grow without “all the pressures, all the ridiculousness that high school can be.”

Prior to being the Director of Advancement at Westridge, she worked as the Advancement Strategic Initiatives Director at The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, where she conceptualized and led a $20 million capital campaign for the expansion of the Chinese Garden and managed a portfolio of more than 300 major gift prospects. However, her journey after college was a little different. 

Ms. Adams did not initially envision herself working in nonprofits. She started out as an art history major, which led her to work at USC’s Pacific Asia Museum. That is where she began to accumulate experience with nonprofits. Afterwards, she started to work with other nonprofits like AltaMed and the Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative. Ms. Adams then began to work at The Huntington Library. She later earned her master’s degree for public administration at California State University, Northridge, 10 years after her undergraduate degree at University of Southern California. 

When it comes to a career path, she knows the importance of taking your time and learning about yourself through life and experiences. She credits her experiences because of being able to take the time to discover her passions and the benefits of gaining work experience. 

When asked to give some advice to a student right now, she said, “Enjoy it. Enjoy the ride, right? It’s a journey. Yes, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. You’re in it for the long haul. And so I would just say, enjoy it and make use of every opportunity as you can. Try all the things.”