Alberta Amparito Avila

Alberta joined the Belize Public Service at the tender age of 17, straight out of the Belmopan Comprehensive High School.
She remembers her mom telling her “My daughter, I did not send you to school to stay at home, you better go to Belmopan and go look for a job.” The following day she was in Belmopan going from office to office asking if there were any vacancies for a secretary, as that was always her dream to become a secretary. Alberta was sad and disappointed when she was told there were no vacancies at several Ministries, until she went to the Ministry of Natural Resources, and was told that they needed a secretary to start working immediately. She was so excited for the opportunity afforded to her. Alberta immediately asked to use the phone to call and inform her mom that she got a job and that was not going home until the evening. And so, her career as a Public Officer began, 31st January 1989.

At the Ministry of Natural Resources she was placed in the National Estate Section where she was tasked with typing of lease approval letters, grant letters, purchase price approval letters etc. The workload was heavy and demanding. It was her first job, so she made errors here and there but eventually she got the hang of it, and it was easy sailing from there. After a couple of years in the National Estate Section, she was transferred to the accounts department of the Ministry and was tasked with the typing of the pay sheets and vouchers. She did this on manual typewriters for years until her husband computerized the payroll and voucher systems and eventually the entire Public Service payroll system became computerized. Alberta was then transferred to the Commissioner of Lands and Surveys Office, where she served as Secretary to the Commissioner. She worked at the Ministry of Natural Resources for 17 years until she was transferred to the Belmopan Police Station.
Her time at the Belmopan Police Station was short, only worked there for 4 awesome months. Then transferred to the Ministry of the Public Service where she worked for the Public Service Commission. Truthfully, “She did not like it there.” Fortunately, her stay there wasn't long. She only worked there another 4 months and was transferred to the Ministry of Education.

For the first time in her Public Service career, she was asked to be the Secretary to a Minister. Alberta was scared but knew she was capable. So, in July 2007, joined the Ministry of Education where she was Secretary to Hon. Francis Fonseca, then Secretary to Hon. Patrick Faber and then again Hon. Francis Fonseca. Alberta says this to say that throughout her years as a Public Officer, has kept it professional, and continue to do so.

Presently, she is still working in the Ministry of Education as a Senior Secretary and must say that while she enjoyed working in the other Ministries mentioned above, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology is the Ministry that she feel that she have contributed the most to. Alberta is so blessed to have been placed in such a position where she is able to help so many of our Belizeans students fulfil their educational dreams and aspirations.

As she look back on her journey as a Public Officer for the past 35 years, She always say to herself and to others “If she was given a choice to choose where to work, it would always be the Belize Public Service”.