Alejandra Kempelverdi and I have known each other for more than a decade.

We met as 20-somethings working in politics in D.C. She was an aide to then President Obama.

And then we worked together at Fusion,

the ABC Univision cable channel. I've always perceived Al-Aandah to be smart and ambitious.

What I failed to pick up on was just how alone she felt in navigating what it meant to be first

and only. She's giving those experiences name and language in her new memoir, First Gen. In it, Alejandra shares not just the achievements, and there are many,

but also the messiness that exists between those high points and the price we pay for social ascension. Alejandra, congratulations. Thank you so much for being here.

Thank you so much for having me. I cannot wait for this conversation.

It would be very easy to sort of tell your story as first gen at the Obama White House. I think

something that's really important to pull back is how you got to the Obama White House, specifically

sort of getting on the campaign and then you already had a plan to go back to grad school.

Everyone was like, what do you mean you're leaving? And then you

make the decision to come back. And I want to dig in on that because I think that is,

it's a really high risk, high reward choice for a young person to make. Can you go back to the

calculus that you were making in your mind about that decision

and what you were telling yourself you would do if it did not go your way? I started operating

a lot from my gut at a certain point in my 20s. And that's something that I think is first

and onlys is hugely important because we don't have a lot of direction.

I was going to go and start studying for the GMAT in order to go to grad school because a number of things that happened.

My mom developed cancer.

I thought I might have to raise my sister alone in my mid-20s.

And I was trying to find a way to have some level of financial stability.

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