We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Darshana Patel. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Darshana below.

Alright, Darshana thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I was standing in the ICU and it all looked too familiar. It may have even been the exact one I was in when I saw my mom dying over 20 years ago. All of the memories were flooding back and then the sound of the hospital machinery brought me back to the room and I was focused on my dad’s peaceful face. I knew we were going to lose him too. It was 2009 and my children were just four and one and I was just transitioning from bench lab basic research into project management shepherding oncology therapeutics from late research into early development. Here I was trying to help bring novel treatments to cancer patients and my dad could not even get the care he needed for a completely treatable medical condition in time due to Medicare prior authorization time delays. I told my husband, I needed to change my focus – I was driven to help make the world a better place, but maybe instead of doing it through life sciences, I should work to build effective policies and help people become more engaged civically. I knew it would be a huge shift and a steep learning curve. While I could not remember a time when I was not the underdog, this seemed like a particularly huge risk on an path that no one in my family had ever gone down.

Darshana, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Growing up, my parents struggled to make ends meet during multiple recessions and because of that we moved often. Each time, we had to make new friends, get to know our community, and learn where the resources were. If it were not for the caring teachers in my public education system helping my mom sign up for nutrition assistance I would not be where I am today. Unfortunately, during one of these relocation transitions when we did not have our health insurance established, my mom passed away due to an undiagnosed medical condition. I was at the very impressionable age of just 14. This tragedy inspired me to enter the medical and health research fields and find life saving treatments, so that no one would have to suffer the way I did. I also wanted to pursue a career where I could have financial stability. Thanks to need-based financial aid, I was able to earn a B.A. in Biochemistry at Occidental College and a Ph.D. in Biophysics from the University of California, Irvine. After graduate school, I landed a dream job in early research at Genentech, Inc, in the Bay Area. While I was at Genentech, I was able to help transition oncology therapeutics from research into development. I was in my biotech life sciences career for over eight years by that time.

So, in considering leaving life sciences research for a public facing, civic volunteer position, I would be leaving everything I learned and knew for the past 20 years, where I was established as an expert, return to ground level where I was not financially contributing to our family and I could not be certain that I could make a meaningful impact for my community. Would this risk be worth it? I would only know by taking the first step.

The struggles were real, but so were the impacts. I started off small with my daughters’ school PTA and school education Foundation, then grew that to more community wide organizations like the police captain’s advisory board, local town council, and community planning board. With every leadership position I took on, I made sure to raise the level of civic engagement for the community and build capacity for future leaders. This first phase of the journey took about five years. Each position naturally guiding me to the next as I tried to address concerns within our community.

In 2016, as the Poway Unified School District struggled because of financial mismanagement and embezzlement, My community encouraged me to run for school board to get the district back on track. As an elected Trustee, I helped restore effective governance and fiscal responsibility to the Poway Unified School District, expanded career and technical education programs, and increased counseling supports for our students, even while guiding local schools through the COVID-19 pandemic. Voters overwhelmingly reelected me in 2020. In addition to my work on the School Board, I serve on the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs, as President of the San Diego County School Boards Association, as a member of the San Diego County Democratic Party Central Committee, as a CADEM Delegate.

My contributions have been recognized throughout the San Diego region by being awarded the San Diego County School Boards Association First Term Board Member of the Year in 2019. I was most recently recognized as both a 2022 City of San Diego Woman of Distinction and a 2022 API Leader of Influence by San Diego Business Journal. I was named the Occidental College Alumna of the Year for 2023 for my continued volunteerism on behalf of Oxy.

In 2023 I decided to run for California State Assembly District 76. I never thought I would put my diverse set of skills and passion for serving my community to this challenge. On March 5th 2024 I decisively won my March 5th Primary Election thanks to a grassroots effort. I am focused on winning in the November 5th General Election and representing our communities in Sacramento.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

While there are many circumstances throughout my life where my resilience, determination, and grit have helped me navigate serious challenges, none were as profoundly impactful as the loss of my mom when I was just fourteen years old. She was only forty-five. I remember the moment that the counselor walked into my social studies classroom – I was not only a freshman in high school, but brand new to this community and had not made friends yet. We had some free time at the end of class and I was looking at preserved newspaper front pages from significant times throughout history. I was pulled out of class and learned that my mom was in the ICU on life support. I didn’t remember a day in my life when my mom was sick, not even a cold. She was always there, helping, encouraging, and guiding. Two days later she was gone. My dad was a stoic and never talked about his emotions. Looking back, he was likely suffering from depression and guilt. I know both my brothers and I were too, but as kids, we could burry our emotions in school and hide our grief. Oddly, my school counselors did not really check in on me, I had no grief counseling and would cry myself to sleep for nights on end. I wondered why her and not me. I grappled with the fragility of life. I got through each day by reminding myself that my parents sacrificed so much by leaving their home country – everything they knew and everyone they loved – to start from scratch in search of the American Dream for their young family. I would not let those sacrifices become pointless.
I transformed my grief into resilience. Not only did I have to take on household responsibilities such as cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping, and laundry, but also I was determined to excel at school, in the mock trial courtroom, and on the tennis courts. There were a few teachers that supported me throughout these tough years. One of them, Mrs. Williamson, I am still close to today. I will never forget their support, encouragement, and guidance – they tried to fill the void that every child needs to thrive. I graduated high school with honors and was well on my way towards realizing the American Dream.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

Success in public service is derived from a balance of empathy, integrity, and attitude. I have learned to focus on what I can control and manage expectations. While it certainly helps that I can apply my scientifically-minded, rational problem solving approach, I know when to listen to others so that the solutions we develop actually help those in need. I do my best to honor my commitments and be a true representative of our community. I value set-backs as opportunities for learning and successes as shared achievements. I am guided by my deeply rooted desire to make sure that every person has the opportunity and resources to thrive.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://patelforassembly.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patelforassembly/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patelforassembly
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darshanapatelphd/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/IAmDarshPatel

Image Credits
Christine Paik, Christina Patel, Jagadish Nayak