WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- Karen Richardson may not have known where she would end up , but she has always known that with hard work , anything is possible . Karen Richarson , a White House staffer , says anything is possible in America . Richardson , 30 , works as a White House staffer on what the Obama administration sees as the most pressing issue of the day : health care reform . She meets with President Obama several times a week and expresses the same kind of determination and sense of hard work to her job . `` You have to continue to plow forward and just keep working until it gets done , '' she explained . `` I stay focused on the job at hand and I 'm committed to getting this done . '' Richardson did n't always want to work at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue . As a student at Howard University , a historically black college , she developed a passion for international affairs and originally wanted to follow the path set by another African-American woman . `` Watching [ former Secretary of State ] Condoleezza Rice at the prime point of her career , [ I began ] thinking , ' I can do this . ' `` So Karen moved to Italy and started working for UNICEF . But then she got a call from someone asking if she might be interest in interning for `` this new guy , Barack Obama . '' Watching the news from abroad , she did n't know much about Obama , a senator at the time , except that he was the guy `` with Kenyan roots , '' as she put it . So she decided to put her dreams of international field work on hold and give Capitol Hill a try . `` I thought , 'Well , I 've never done anything on Capitol Hill , I 've never worked over on Capitol Hill . ' `` Karen recalled , `` So this would be a great opportunity and let me just go see what this is about and learn as much as I can while I 'm there , '' What was supposed to be a six-month internship with Obama 's Senate office became a full-time position after only three months , and she followed that trail all the way to Pennsylvania Avenue . Although Karen 's journey to the White House was never `` inconceivable '' to her , she still takes time to appreciate how far she has come . `` I do n't want to lose sight of what it took to get here , what it means to be here and what an extraordinary honor it is to be working for President Obama , '' Richardson said . `` I have those moments every day and I really do try to remind myself every single day why I 'm here and what an extraordinary privilege it is . '' She also tries to go back to her alma mater to speak to students , particularly African-Americans who might not think they , too , can work at the White House someday . `` It gives me the opportunity to go back and speak about my path because it can inspire them , '' Richardson explains . `` It 's changing a perspective for them in light of what it is they can achieve . '' `` The American dream is accessible to anybody , '' Karen said . `` Your options and the possibilities in life are really limitless . ''
Karen Richardson , only three months , is a graduate of Senate in Obama . Rice says she was inspired by former Secretary of State Richardson . She originally worked for Obama 's Senate office and later on his campaign . Richardson : `` I do n't want to lose sight of what it took to get here ''