What is Your Plan?

For the record, I am really not a political person. Some of you are probably laughing at that sentence because leading up to the election, and certainly after it, I’ve posted some pretty political things. But in the grand scheme of my life, and looking back on the past 30 years, I really am not that political nor am I very outspoken about politics or “taboo” type topics. I will admit that as I have gotten older, I’ve certainly become more liberal and more apt to share my feelings on issues I find important (marriage rights, sexual assault, immigration etc). 8 days ago everything changed and let me tell you there has been a spark lit under my behind that is calling me to take all my privileges, all my experiences, and all my ability to be an advocate and do something good with it. Some of you will never understand the immense fear and grief felt by so many people last week (and that will continue to be felt for the next four years) and some of you will think I was overreacting when I sat in my bathroom at 9:30pm last Tuesday sobbing like I have never sobbed before. I’m not mad at my friends for however they voted, everyone has the right to vote however they please and for whomever they please. I clearly disagree with who some of my friends voted for, but just like those friends have the right to have voted for who they did for the reasons they voted, I have the right to disagree. My biggest issue right now is the fact that so many people I love are living in fear and whether or not you believe that fear is justified, that fear is real and we all need to acknowledge that our friends, our neighbors, our family members, and our fellow citizens have real, immense, and in my opinion, justified feelings right now.

Today, I sat and spoke with a woman who moved to the US from a middle eastern country. I listened as she shared with me through tears what she has experienced leading up to the election and after the election. I heard the fear through her voice and felt the cry for help through her tears. I had to listen to the sexist and xenophobic things that have been said to her. If you think the media is over exaggerating what is happening in the country right now then fine, believe that, but as your friend on facebook, I am telling you that whether you want to believe it or not, it is happening. This is not okay. And just saying “stop it” is not enough. This is a time when action speaks louder than words.

Over the course of my time working with college students I’ve sat through and led many trainings on what we refer to as bystander intervention. The short version of bystander intervention is that when you see something that is wrong, something that feels off, or something that could lead to danger, you intervene and help. Your action can stop the wrong that is happening. And just like what we teach college students (mainly around the topic of sexual assault and sexual violence) I think we need to teach each other right now. If you see something that is wrong, if you hear someone say something that is hurtful, sexist, racist, etc, then do something; say something; prove to me that you do no stand for what has been tied to and attributed to our President-elect. We have the power to be kind. We have the power to build bridges. We have the power to advocate for those around us.

You don’t have to make some grand gesture. Find what matters to you and use your voice to support it and protect it. Be kind. Be understanding. Be accepting of the way those around you may be feeling whether you agree with those feelings or not. Put yourself in their shoes. I know that is my plan for the next day, the next week, the next four years and beyond. So what is your plan?

My Girls

I wasn't planning on doing a blog tonight, but then I was sitting watching Mike interact with his little brother from Big Brothers Big Sisters and I decided tonight might be a nice night to write a little. Mike constantly amazes me. First off, he puts up with me on a daily basis and those of you who know me well, know that is pretty much a giant amazing miracle for anyone to do. He's smart, talented, funny, caring, can build and fix things, and has incredibly patient. Watching him spend time with his little, more specifically spending time doing math homework, reminds me how lucky I am to be marrying him in under a month. And it also reminded me of family, but not our traditional family, but our family who go beyond blood. Darren, Mike's little brother, isn't blood related but he is a part of our family. Tonight he asked if he and his family could move into our house because he likes it so much, it was super cute. I'm really lucky, because I have non-blood related sisters who agreed to be my bridesmaids for the wedding. Lauren is super cool too because she is my actual sister, but tonight I wanted to chat about the special ladies who are family to me.

I'm pretty sure that I hit the jackpot with these ladies. They are all different and special in their own way but there is no one else that I would want to call a bridesmaid beside them. They've been there for me through all kinds of things. They've been my shoulder to cry on and they've made me laugh uncontrollably. And they are the only ones who will know how to handle me on the big day and each of them will have their own roles that day....Tara will make sure Mike is in line, Jen will make sure there is alcohol nearby, Emily will keep me grounded and bring me back to reality when I start getting a little crazy, and Laura will make me burst into a million tears when I see her on facetime.

Out of all my bridesmaids, I've known Emily the longest. We went to grad school together and somehow survived those two years together. A few years ago Emily posted something on my wall about how research showed that if you were friends with someone for 7 years that you would remain friends for your lifetime. So far, that rings true with Emily and I. We do a terrible job keeping up with each other because of our crazy busy lives, but the moment we text, email, talk on the phone, or see each other in person, it is as if no time has passed at all. We just pick up, catch up, and keep our friendship going. Emily was there for me at probably my lowest point in my life and professional career. Instead of letting me sit and be depressed, she motivated me, lit the fire under me, and provided me with the harsh kind of love that you need from time to time. I'll never be able to repay her for how she helped me. She's an incredible person, amazing professional, and an even better friend. We will ignore the number of boy problems of mine that she has had to deal with, but I'm so glad that after dealing with all those frogs, she will be standing next to me when I get to marry my Prince Charming.

Jen I've known almost as long as Emily, but not quite. I met Jen at George Mason where I worked my first professional job after grad school and she was a student. I fought so hard to get Jen on my staff during staff selection and after a lot of ups, downs, and battles with one of my favorite all time bosses, I finally got Jen on my staff. She worked for me for a semester and we had an instant connection. Jen is honestly one of the few staff members from my early staffs that I kept in regular contact with and as fate would have it, we got to work together again when she decided to come to UWF for grad school. During that time both our professional and personal relationship grew and I got to see Jen develop into an amazing person. I'm pretty sure there were days when Jen wanted to throw things at me when I was her supervisor in grad school, but despite all of that our friendship grew, and especially near the end, so did out adventures. From our first adventure in Pensacola at Seville to one of our lasts getting stuck in a torrential downpour #sorrycharlie Jen is one of my favorite people and I know she will keep me smiling during the wedding.

Tara I have known for the shortest amount of time but in reality, I think we are kind of kindred spirits. We are both Hokies, she has a little SEC blood in her, we are both introverts, and we both get grumpy when we've been out too late or people start annoying us. She was also witness to the two fights that nearly ended my relationship with Mike. One involved boomerang and the other involved the Tennessee/Florida football game. Mike likes to refer to Tara as his other girlfriend because they are actually super close too. She deals with his crazy antics, and sometimes encourages them. She is also the kind of friend that you can pick up the phone and drag out to dinner or happy hour at a moments notice when you've had a bad day because she is an incredible friend. She was also the first bridesmaid to find out she would be one because I mayyyy have told her at the Mardi Gras parade before Mike and I were even engaged that I was going to ask her to be a bridesmaid. Tara abandoned me this summer so Pensacola is not the same, but we do have quite the little group text message going between her, myself, and Jen. #ketchupbottle I won't even lie, I miss Tara a lot. Like every day.

Then there is Laura. Who I'm going to make cry because she literally just had a baby which means she is postpartum and cries at everything and I, being the evil one that I am, enjoy making her cry. I call Laura "little one" because that is what she is. If I didn't have a sister, Laura would have been my Matron of Honor. The first time we met, I didn't like her. I thought she was going to be super rude and stuck up and I wasn't looking forward to working with her at Framingham. I don't know if I ever told her that is how I felt about her. I'm pretty sure she didn't like me either though because I technically got hired over her. Boy was I wrong. Laura is my rock. And she lives too far away. She is one of the hardest working people I know and probably my best co-worker of all time. She is blunt and incredibly feisty. She puts me in my place when I need it and talks me down off the ledge when I'm having a Lynsey moment. I'm also a terrible influence on her because I encouraged her to drink an entire bottle of wine one Thanksgiving and the very next day she found out she was pregnant. Oops. Laura is my "grown up" friend who talks to me about marriage, family, buying houses, and most importantly, the weird crazy things that your body does when you are pregnant. I've already warned her she will be getting a million messages a day from me when I decide to have kids. She is one of a kind and I know that if I needed her, she would do everything in her power to be there for me, just like she hopefully knows I would do for her too. Laura won't actually be at the wedding....she had to go and have a baby. There is going to be a big gap that is missing, but I'll facetime her and ruin my makeup and have her oldest son Connor tell me how beautiful I am before I walk down the aisle. Laura, whether she knows it or not, is my person.

I'm incredibly blessed to have these amazing women by my side for the wedding for multiple reasons. They are all so special to me and I can't wait to celebrate with them and have our friends and family see how much they mean to me because they are part of our special day. I'm also lucky to have two "real" family members with me that day too, Lauren my incredible sister and Kaelie, Mike's amazing and talented niece. I really am the luckiest girl in the world to have 6 amazing women who loved me enough to say yes when I asked them to be beside me on the most important day of my life :) Family goes beyond blood. 

Love At First Sight?

As of today, we are officially one month away from the wedding. To be exact, we are 29 days 13 hours and 33 minutes away from the ceremony starting. And no, I didn’t just calculate that, our wedding wire app has the countdown as soon as it opens. Also, as I write this blog post my sister, Mike, and myself are all sending gifs via imessage in a group message to explain our excitement (Lauren and Mike) and our anxiety (me) about the wedding being a month away. The funny thing is that at this point it really feels like Mike and I are already an old married couple because we’ve been together for a while and have a house together. Even with that, we are both still looking forward to the wedding, being officially married, and gathering with some of our friends and family to celebrate. I haven’t blogged in a while so I figured today was the perfect day to write something and start a little series leading up to the wedding. So today, I give you the story of our first date J Mike might get embarrassed, but he needs to get used to that if he isn’t already since he is marrying me.

For the record, I asked Mike out first. I let him pick the place, time, and date, but I initiated the date. He decided we should meet on a Friday night downtown and the Wine Bar on Palafox. It was the night before I had to run a 5K very early in the morning, but I figured the date wouldn’t last that long and I would be fine to get home and get plenty of sleep before the race. As all girls do, I stressed about what I was going to wear and eventually settled on a pair of jeans, pink tank top, black cardigan and some boots. I looked cute if I must say so :) This was also my first official date in two years, so I was clearly a little nervous.

When I got to the Wine Bar, Mike was waiting outside for me. It was cold because it was January, but I remember thinking Mike’s jacket was a little extreme for the Florida cold (it was a puffy winter coat). He shook my hand when we met. It was really weird and I’ve told him that a thousand times. I don’t think anyone has shook my hand on a first date before Mike. That should have been my sign that he was a winner. We went inside, got seated, and started our date. The conversation was easy, I laughed, and we got to know each other. We had both eaten so we just ordered a glass of wine each. When we finished the first glass we were still talking and enjoying the date, so when the waitress asked if we wanted another drink, I assumed we would get one. Mike said no, so being courteous, I also said no. Then we sat there talking. For another two hours. With no more wine. The waitress probably thought we were crazy and hated that by the end of the night we had taken up a table for three hours and had only had two glasses of wine total. I thought we were nuts.

So when the check came I really wasn’t sure what to do. It just kind of sat at the table (we had to pay at the bar) and Mike didn’t acknowledge the check and I didn’t really either. I would have been totally fine to pay for our super expensive two glasses of wine, or to split it, but there was for sure an awkward little while of me wondering if he was going to pick up the check and pay for it. Good news, eventually he did.

We had parked near each other so we walked together back to our cars. When we were close to our cars but not actually at them, Mike stopped right in front of the door to one of my favorite bars in town, Seville Quarter. There was a bouncer right at the door who we stopped in front of so he got to hear Mike’s whole awkward goodbye, this was fun, we should do it again sometime speech. Then we said goodbye with no hug and luckily no awkward handshake again, we just parted ways and headed back to our cars.

For the record, the next day I talked with my mum and specifically told her that he was nice but a little quirky and I wasn’t sure if I liked him, but I would go on a second date with him to give him another chance. She likes to remind me of this conversation on a regular basis, but I guess it was a good thing I gave him a second chance, huh? And now that I’ve finally finished this we are 29 days, 12 hours and 40 minutes away from the ceremony. 

The Impact of Words

It is really strange the things that your mind choses to remember and what it decides to either get rid of or lock in a box in the very far back dusty corner. As most of you know, I work at a Community College and like all higher education institutions there is a big focus here on access, retention, and success of students. One of the nice things about the place that I work is that we are an “open access” institution and in most cases, Community Colleges tend to be “open access.” Essentially what open access means is that anyone could come here for school. There are still minimum requirements and we still have an admissions team that reviews all of our applications and makes sure students have the proper identification/paperwork/course credit that they need to have in order to enroll, but we don’t turn you away because you have a GED instead of a H.S. Diploma, or because you weren’t a straight A student, or didn’t have a perfect score on the ACT, or because of your background-educational, social, or economic. Where I work is a place that wants to give students the opportunity to be successful even if they never thought that a College degree or certification is something they would ever receive.

So back to that funny thing that minds choose to remember. It has been almost 13 years since I was in the process of applying to Colleges and Universities. For me, it was never a question of going to College or University, it was where would I go and could I get scholarships for it. I recognize that this last statement shows how much privilege I had as a high school junior/senior and how much I still have today. I had two parents with college degrees who had always encouraged me to learn. I don’t think I ever had a conversation with them about not going to college, or doing something for a career that wouldn’t require a college degree. I do know that I had several conversations with them about not wanting to go to the University of Tennessee and how I would only go there kicking and screaming (and yes, I now realize the irony in these conversations). I didn’t really spend any time while I was a junior or senior thinking about the other students in my graduating class who might not have had supportive parents like I did, or who might have been first generation college students, or who didn’t want anything to do with college because they had a different career path. For me, and my group of privileged friends, our conversations were about where we were planning to go, what we thought our major would be, and what “dorm” we would live in.

What I did spend time thinking about was how College would be paid for, especially since my top two schools were small private Presbyterian Colleges with very high price tags. Even though my parents both have College degrees and were incredibly supportive throughout the process, they went to school in Scotland and the higher education system in Scotland at the time that my parents went to school was very different from the American higher education system. There were certain things my parents didn’t understand. First and foremost being the fact that everyone had to pay for College. Then you get into things like the FAFSA which can be a total different language for students and their parents. Not to mention things that take place on college campuses like Greek Life. So even though I have parents with degrees, a lot of the requirements for admission into College was new to all three of us. You also have to think that my parents moved to the US in 1995 less than 10 years before I would start college, so they didn’t have the saving accounts set aside from the time I was born specifically for College like some families have the ability to do. I knew that if I wanted to go to one of my top two schools that I would need to find a scholarship. So I looked and found some but the financial aid packages offered to me by my top two schools couldn’t compare with how much it would cost me to go to UT.

When it became clear that I was more than likely going to end up at UT for school, I started to think about how to go about getting scholarships there. I knew I wanted to live on campus, even though I could have lived at home since campus was only a 20 minute drive from my parents’ house and I wanted to be involved so I figured the less expensive UT was the more I could do. I remember clearly, the day that counselors from UT came to my high school to talk to us about the admissions process, financial aid, and campus life. Since probably half of my graduating class ended up at UT everyone was really excited about these meetings and learning more about the transition from high school to college. We had the opportunity to hear information and then ask questions of these “all-knowing” college counselors. So, still being focused on paying for school/having extra money for fun things, I decided to ask the counselor what the process was to apply for scholarships. The response I got was not at all what I expected. I was told, as was everyone else in that room with me, that unless we had a 3.75 GPA or above, that it wasn’t even worth our time to apply for the scholarships offered by UT. I can’t remember what my high school GPA was, but I know for sure it wasn’t the number that the college counselor said that day. I felt totally defeated. Before I had even started applying for scholarships at UT, I was basically told I wouldn’t get a school scholarship.

Even with that message, I was still really lucky. I got the Tennessee HOPE scholarship and my mum got a tuition discount for me because she was a Knox County teacher, oh and my parents had been able to save some money to help with school costs. But reflecting back, I wonder about the other students who were in the room with me and heard that same message. What other students felt defeated, or felt as though they weren’t good enough for UT when they were told not even to waste their time applying for a scholarship? Were there any students who took that message and decided not even to apply to UT, or worse, to not apply to any schools because they didn’t think they could get financial aid? I’m sure the counselor who shared that doesn’t remember that conversation and never thought about the impact that conversation could have had on a high school senior- especially one that was on the fence about whether or not college was for them.

Fast forward 13 years and I am sure there are still students who are hearing messages like the one we heard when I was a senior. There are probably well-intentioned professionals, parents, and peers who say something that ends up deflating the excitement or hope that a student has. So what are we doing to help students? Are we reinforcing that if a College education is something that they want, that they have the opportunity to obtain a degree? And how are we treating our friends, students, and children who tell us that college isn’t for them? There are a lot of options that don’t require a degree, or that a vocational certification can open doors for. College and Universities need to be more aware of the message they are sending in every form, which includes those individual counselors and recruitment officers who speak to students one on one. My job, and the job of Colleges and Universities is to help students be successful and get them on the path to their future career. Sending messages that detract from the opportunity of success won’t help our schools get more students, rather more students will think that college isn’t for them. So next time you are talking to a high school student, or even someone younger than that, think about the message you are sending and think about how that message could be perceived in terms of their future successes. We all have the opportunity to help others be successful, so instead of locking doors before they can be opened, let’s work on keeping them open and offering multiple doors to choose from. 

The Happy Wall

This afternoon, Mike came into my office to show me a message he had just gotten from one of his students that essentially let him know how much the student appreciated Mike as an advisor. As you can imagine, Mike was really proud and felt really touched by the student reaching out and letting him know the impact he had on them. Since this is his very first year in a professional Student Affairs position, it is even more special for him to get notes/messages like this. Of course I was super proud of him too, but it got me thinking about something that I have done since 2007 when I started my Graduate Program.

Some days, working in Student Affairs can be hard. You can have incredibly long, high stress days where you feel as though you are doing everything wrong and are terrible at your job. When you have those days, it is really nice to be able to reflect back on the positive impact you’ve had on students, colleagues, and institutions. My grad school experience was challenging to say the least….especially parts of my graduate assistantship. I knew the work I was doing with the fraternity and sorority chapters along with the students I was advising and supervising was making an impact, but there were days where I just felt totally defeated because of things outside of the work I was doing directly with my students. I made the decision that I needed something that could remind me of two things. One, I wanted to remember why I made the decision to go into Student Affairs. Two, I wanted to be able to look back on how I’ve helped students (because helping students grow and develop in college was the reason I decided to go into this field). So I started “The Happy Wall”

The current "Happy Wall"

It’s been almost 9 years since I started this tradition which has continued at every place I’ve worked, so I don’t remember what the very first thing I put up on my “Happy Wall” was, but I can tell you that the collection of cards, photos, hand drawn pictures, paper glasses, and door decs have grown. When you have that terrible, no good day, you need something to keep you motivated. For me, I’ve found “The Happy Wall” works. I can take a 5-10minute break and just read the cards, the letters, the notes and everything else to remind myself of all the amazing opportunities I have had, the incredible students and colleagues I’ve worked with, and the fact that I’ve made a difference to someone. I’ve collected so many items for “The Happy Wall” that I have to keep some of the items in a little box on my bookshelf because they don’t all fit. Sometimes, students have made me something specific for the happy wall, like this window because at the time, the office I was in didn’t have a window. Sometimes it is the little things that really make a difference.

I’m in a position now where I interact with lots of students, but not in the way I did when I was in Residence Life or Fraternity and Sorority Life. I know I’m still making an impact on students and the community I work with, but the notes and cards are less and less since I switched functional areas which means I cherish the ones I have so much more now. I think the further removed an administrator becomes from students, the more important it is for that person to have something like “The Happy Wall” because it will always be there to remind you of your students and the reasons for going into the field. And if you don’t work in Higher Education like I do, there are probably plenty of ways that you can create something similar to my “Happy Wall” for your position, even if it just consists of pictures of friends and family. Doing something like this can also be great for your mental health, so there is another reason to create something if you don’t have anything yet.

Some of the Door Decs I've saved over the years

Hopefully Mike takes me up on my suggestion to print the message he got and start his own “Happy Wall” but either way, I’m going to keep adding to mine when I can and using it as a tool of reflection and motivation. 

Picture wall with past staffs

Lasting Impact

When you are on the brink of a major life event (in my case turning 30) you start to reflect on what you have done up until that point in your life. Today has been filled with one of those reflective moments. You see, I just finished scoring 25 essays for the TEAMS competition that the Technology Student Association coordinates. Scoring the essays, along with a conversation I had with my parents this weekend, made me realize that as of the 2016 National Conference, I’ve been involved with TSA for over 17 years. That is officially more than half of my life. Looking back, I don’t think anyone would have guessed that the awkward 7^th grader who walked into Mr. Calfee and Mr. Fagan’s Tech Ed classroom would still be tied to TSA at this point, but I am and I couldn’t be happier to say that I am one of the alumni who continue to give back to the organization that gave us so much.

When you say that you were involved in the Technology Student Association to people their first thought is that you spent your time in middle school and high school “geeking out” with computers, robots, and other STEM related things or if you happen to say TSA instead of the full name of the organization, people look at you funny because middle school and high school students certainly do not run the security checkpoints at any airport they’ve been to. While the main focus, and even the mission of TSA, is to provide opportunities in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics through such arenas as competitions, for me the lessons I learned and the growth I experienced went beyond the competitions and beyond STEM.

The reason a lot of members join TSA is for the competitions. Members spend the whole year reading every detail of an event’s rules and perfecting their project or their research/practicing for the day that a regional, state, or national conference takes place. Trust me, we all want to make it to the finalist round and then to be one of the individuals or teams that get to stand on the stage at the awards ceremony, but to me, the most important lessons and the most incredible learning moments take place outside of the competitions. They take place in the hours before and after school where members work as teams to accomplish their goal- to get that bridge to support the most weight, or get the car sanded down to the exact shape they wanted, or to finally get through a Chapter Team practice without forgetting your part in the TSA Creed. They take place in the conversations that you have with your advisors when you don’t think you are going to finish in time, when you are doubting your ability to give a speech in front of other people, and when they see potential in you that you may not have realized yet. They take place in the opportunities that you are given to become a leader within your chapter, to share with an outsider what TSA is, and in the moments where you make connections with other students from around the world who share the same passion that you have for the organization that makes you wear all that blue in official dress, or in my time, the lovely blazers and funny little ties for women.

I was one of the lucky students who had the opportunity to serve as a Chapter, State, and a National Officer. In those roles, I had the opportunity to see different sides of TSA and was able to make connections with even more individuals who helped shape me as a young adult. It was also through these experiences that the foundation of who I was and who I would be as an adult was formed. Serving in those roles helped push me out of my comfort zone; put me in positions where I had to work with team members who weren’t always there like they had been in my chapter; and put me in situations where I had to represent over 200,000 members in what I said and what I did. My confidence level increased, my communication skills were honed, and my understanding of what leadership is was made clear. Looking back, I know that I wouldn’t be where I am today without the experiences I had while I was a student member in TSA. As a student member, I learned the importance of work ethic and teamwork. I learned the importance of creating connections and networking. I learned that anyone can grow and be developed into a leader. I learned that mistakes happen and that as long as you learn from those moments, everything will be ok. I learned the importance of sticking to your word (yes, Calfee, I am referring to that time you shaved your head when we by some miracle placed 1^st at Nationals in Chapter Team). I learned how to communicate my passions. I learned how to be a leader, and honestly, there were probably 100s of more lessons that I learned while I was a member.

Today, I am the Director of Student Conduct at a Community College. When we talk about notable alumni from TSA, or when we have alumni come back and speak to students, typically those notable alumni are in a STEM related position/field or they may be in an incredible leadership position such as having military or political experience. However, when you think about the thousands of students who are members in TSA, not everyone is going to end up in a career related to STEM or in a substantial leadership position. Some of us go from that awkward 7^th grader to an almost 30 year old working in education, but in an administrative position. No matter what career path a TSA member takes though, the skills, the experiences, and the leadership opportunities that TSA provides are relevant and critical. They are the things that will set you apart in both college applications and when you enter the workforce. My problem solving skills wouldn’t be to the level they are without participating in some of my TSA competitions and interacting with some of my team members on my officer teams. My public speaking confidence certainly wouldn’t be anywhere close to where It is without Prepared Presentation, Exempt, and standing on stage as an officer. My work ethic wouldn’t be as strong if it hadn’t been for those hours before and after school spent working on competitions. My ability to explain to people what I do or share information about organizations I’m involved in wouldn’t be as polished if it wasn’t for all the time spent practicing elevators speeches so that I could share with “outsiders” what TSA is. I wouldn’t be the team player I am without the team competitions and the officer teams I served on. And I wouldn’t be the advisor and mentor to my College students if it weren’t for the amazing role models I had in my advisors and other TSA “adults.”

17 years. Most of the current TSA members aren’t anywhere close to even being 17 years old. Looking back, I wouldn’t change anything. I am so grateful for the opportunities that I had when I was a TSA member and am grateful for the opportunities I have had since graduating like helping to run conferences, judging, coordinating events, and serving on the TSA Alumni Association Board. 17 years from now, I hope I’m still doing something to help the organization but for now, I’m looking forward to the National Conference in June and seeing some of my best friends, favorite people, and lifelong mentors.