The new postmaster of the Kirkland Post Office, Kathy dela Cruz has earned the title through much hard work and dedication over the past 20-plus years.

But the initial launch of her postal career started with a little push from her dear old dad.

The Philippine native was going to school for accounting when her father said she would be better off working for the post office.

“He said, ‘just try it and if you don’t like it, then you can go back to school,’” dela Cruz recalled, noting she was soon hired as a postal clerk in the Mercer Island Post Office in 1989. “Right away I said, hey, this is working out for me.”

There was no turning back for dela Cruz as she moved through the ranks: a customer service supervisor in Auburn in 1996; an acting manager at the Federal Way Station in 1999 and later a customer service manager in Renton.

She was sworn in as Kirkland’s new postmaster on Thursday. Her friends, family, and Kirkland dignitaries, including Mayor Joan McBride, were present when she took her oath.

“I like the people I work with and just the different challenges every day,” said dela Cruz, who succeeds Don Hatch, now the postmaster in Everett.

She said she is ready for the challenge. As postmaster, dela Cruz will oversee 112 employees and mail delivery to the 36,763 households with the 98033 and 98034 zip codes. The number of households will soon increase when the post office absorbs additional routes after annexation in June 2011.

She said her goal is to continue to provide great customer service to the Kirkland community. She also hopes to promote the Kirkland Post Office, which is located at 721 Fourth Ave.

“I want businesses in the community to start using the Kirkland Post Office,” she added. “We do have competitive prices for our products.”