I didn't have a ton of role models back in 1998. So, when I was looking to get in, it was really just looking up at all the men who were out there. When you're not seeing women - when you're breaking into anything - it's like, "Well, this is what the men do and how they act, so we're going to just emulate that behavior."
Alyssa MastromonacoWhen I had been dating my husband for a while, the president Obama said to me, "When is he going to put a ring on it?" And I was like, "Oh, come on. We are so busy. We don't need to think about that." He said, "He needs to put a ring on it because you're worth it." And the thing is, I'm not even kidding you, it was about a week or two later that we got engaged.
Alyssa MastromonacoPresident Obama really just let all of us genuinely be who we were and didn't expect โ I'm goofy. And so for him, he just never expected us to be any different than who we were and he wanted us to always give our opinions. He is not the kind of person who wanted to sit around and be told he was right all the time. Especially if he wasn't. And I think that seeing that in him made us all take that away with us.
Alyssa MastromonacoI would say that Barack Obama not only made me a better person but made me better at my job. He's one of the most intellectually curious people you'll ever meet and really brings that out in other people.
Alyssa MastromonacoIf you look at Obama - I think that what you saw during those eight years, and in those last few weeks, was that he really loves people and he is going to miss them. And that he deeply appreciate the opportunity he was given.
Alyssa MastromonacoIs there a reason there's not a tampon dispenser in the West Wing basement?" And it was like, "No." Nobody had really just ever thought about putting it there. It's an important story to tell because, well, it was important to do because we needed them, but I think that it's more, like, you should always ask questions.
Alyssa Mastromonaco