Angel Thompson, 28 lives in Washington, D.C. and earns $80,000 a year as a project manager of cultural resources at the National Park Foundation. She helps lead the foundation’s efforts to digitally preserve and share African American history, culture and community stories through America’s national parks.

This is the latest installment of Millennial Money, which profiles people across the U.S. and details how they earn and spend their money.

Read more about Angel's budget breakdown here: https://cnb.cx/32pTaJ7

Thompson earns $80,000 a year as a project manager of cultural resources at the National Park Foundation.The position combines Thompson’s passion for African American history and culture with her interest in improving the visitor experience at museums. Plus, she gets to travel all over the country to visit the sites of the projects she works on, including the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park in Atlanta and the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in Auburn, New York.

his is still a relatively new gig for Thompson: She was unemployed for six months after losing her previous job during the federal government shutdown earlier this year.

But her new role came with a big salary bump. “Prior to being at the National Park Foundation, I was earning $45,000 a year working for the federal government,” she says.

Thompson purchased her house in 2017 with the help of D.C.’s Home Purchase Assistance Program (HPAP), which helps residents with low-to-moderate incomes afford homes in the city. Thompson was making $45,000 at the time, which qualified her for the program.

She received a $64,000 loan from HPAP, and if she lives in the home for at least 15 years, she doesn’t have to pay the money back, she says.

That’s just fine with Thompson — she never wants to leave D.C. “I’m a native Washingtonian,” she says. “I don’t see myself living anywhere else.”

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Living On $80K A Year In Washington, DC | Millennial Money