I'd forgotten my password.
It'd been a while since I last logged in to that particular job portal. Granted, I wasn't using it for personal gain; rather, I wanted to find more information about a position for a student. So, after requesting a password reminder, I checked that ol' "business" email account, and WHOA....738 messages!! Geesh....and I got sidetracked clicking DELETE, DELETE, DELETE.
Until I came across this one message below, dated, November 4, 2004:
"Fellow friends and loved ones,
I hope this email finds you well. For some of you it has been awhile, for that I apologize. I just hope that this email reaches you and allows us to get back in tune with each other's lives. Sometimes, the chores of life seem to get the best of us. But I've recently made some decisions to help me get back to LIVING, not just existing, and I would like to share this exciting news with you.
A few months ago I had an epiphany about my career -- albeit nearly two years after I first verbalized exactly what it was that I really wanted to do -- which knocked me upside my head and I was ready to listen and even more importantly, act! I've decided to deliberately pursue a career in international education. It's really the best culmination of all the issues that I am passionate about - increasing mutual understanding, cultural competency, and promoting travel and experiential learning abroad. I've made some contacts with the local NAFSA branch and other
international education professionals, as I seek to land in a program management
position in academic/travel exchange, international advocacy, or nonprofit with
cultural education-focused organization. I welcome any leads you may have.
After nearly 14 years spent in Washington, DC, I've decided that it is time to make moves....can we say catching that "midnight train to Georgia", next stop: ATLANTA!
Atlanta calls for many reasons, most importantly being my family is there. Having visited Atlanta on many, many occassions, I am familiar with it enough to know that my housing moolah will go farther, that I won't have much need for a snow shovel, and I will never grow tired of indulging in Sweet Georgia Peach Martinis, err...Tea."
The messsage continued with dates/locations for my farewell parties, yes, parties, plural, as I'm never one to have a shindig on a small scale. But what leapt out at me was the sentence that read:
"I've decided to deliberately pursue a career in international education. It's really the best culmination of all the issues that I am passionate about..."
With reading that line came the realization that some 5+ years later, I've grown and blossomed in this career choice. I eventually landed at the No 7 public university in the country, where I've been able to encourage academic exchange, and promote international and cultural education, and stress the importance of a global perspective in professional development. In my work with hundreds of students across the campus, and across the state, I feel a sense of satisfaction when I see them achieve, graduate, and find interesting fellowships, internships, and jobs where they,too, are discovering their passions. I can only hope they've taken a bit of wisdom I shared in our many emails, meetings, and conversations over the course of their academic career.
In these days of shrinking budgets, and having to do it all and learn it all with much less, disillusionment can be around the corner. So we find our wins and joys where we can, professionally.
In addition to having great students, I have superb peers and colleagues who have encouraged and supported me along the way. Last year, they deemed me worthy enough to lead our professional network and this year, I was humbled to discover that the Institute powers that be have selected me as Advisor of the Year! If you've asked me lately, I've told you that I sincerely enjoy what I do, professionally, and I suppose it's safe to say that the love is reciprocated LOL
Which brings me back to the start.
I was looking for information to assist a student with his overseas job search. I was doing something that I've long felt passionate about.
Arriving here has been quite the journey; a journey that has prepared me to have the opportunity to be lauded by my peers and my students for what I do accomplish and achieve. With this, I am encouraged to seek innovatie and improved ways of exploring my professional passions and ever so thankful for the recognition of what I've done thus far.
It was a leap of faith when I resigned my job and left DC almost 6 years ago, but here's to going after your passions!
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