Opportunities Abound!

The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. ~Sir Winston Churchill

If you know me well, and many of you do, I am a talker!  I have never met a stranger and I love to meet people and see new things.  I am a daredevil, but I am also realistic, which is why what I am going to share with you next seems kind of unreal.  I have lost 77 lbs now and at a bit of a plateau but still losing inches (which I can deal with). I have started running again and even my family is pretty impressed that I am sticking with it. But one thing that has never changed about me, is my friendliness.  I tend to talk to anyone and everyone and also LOVE to network.  My job actually requires us to network, which is how I stumbled upon this opportunity.

Monthly our campus director, sends us out reminders to do what we can to engage the world at large as well as build community partners.  I LOVE this part of my job, but I also decided to go beyond the realm of the Twin Cities metro area. I decided to set my goals pretty high.  Which most of you know is something that I do often. I also am a huge advocate of social networking and professional networking like LinkedIn and Facebook.  Our university also advocates the use of them professionally as well.  We even have classes that teach us about online reputation.  So it should be no surprise that I took an interesting exchange to a new level.

Two weeks ago, I was perusing Facebook and found that my favorite new store, LOFT was advertising for an event at the Mall of America.  Now, because I love LOFT, I thought, "Wow, this is a great opportunity to network with other teachers!". However, then I immediately noticed that they were asking people to help co-host the event.  Well you know me, the first to volunteer?  Yep, I did it, but I will say that I was skeptical because, how many people who enter this event are actually chosen? I sent an email of interest and thought, surely NO ONE will contact me, but at least I tried. Well...

I was wrong... I received an email on Tuesday (I sent the email on Sunday) asking for more information. So this is what I sent:

Hi Jamie!  I apologize for not getting back to you sooner!  I have been incredibly busy with finals week fast approaching.  Below I have answered your questions and have also included pictures of myself as requested.

I am a professor and I run a B.S in HealthCare Management Program.  I teach everything from medical classes (anatomy and physiology) to Business Classes (Intro to Business and Governance). I currently am teaching 4 classes and have had a wonderful time meeting with and helping students learn how to market, network, and advocate for themselves.  I am 35 years old  and will be celebrating my 6th annual 30th birthday in December!  I am married to Bill a warrant officer candidate in the US Army Reserve. He is also an engineer for the US Army Corps of Engineers, and we have a 2 1/2 year old daughter named Chloe. My interests include educational opportunities for under served populations, spending time outdoors, reading, and currently working on my doctorate in education. We also enjoy fishing and boating on the Mississippi. As an educator, wife, mother, and military spouse, I have the unique challenge of figuring out how effectively balance everything.  I am also in school for my doctorate in education which adds a new "ball" to the whole juggling act!  I recently had gastric bypass and have lost 75lbs and am so excited to not only be healthy but a role model for my daughter! I also believe that as teachers regardless of what grade or level, we are responsible for educating and preparing the discerning global citizens of tomorrow.

Thank you for your consideration!
Ami 


So with that and two pictures that they requested, I sent off my email thinking that there was no way that they would ever chose me.... I was wrong!!!! I received a phone call about a week later following up on the email and in the interview, I was asked about community engagement and involvement.  Because I do this extensively, I named a few of the places that I am in contact with regularly and they wanted to know more about what our school does to help the community.  At the end of the conversation, I told that they wanted me to co-host the event because of my obvious dedication to education.  I am SOOOOOO Thrilled!!!! Most of all I am happy that people recognize what teachers do, but also I am not sure that people realize that this is a passion.  I will also say that even though people seem to think that we get paid alot, we really don't and to stay in this profession, you have to LOVE what you do!!!

So how does this relate to the blog.  Indirectly, me getting healthier and losing this weight, has had an impact on the world around me.  I have an opportunity to use my story to highlight how important education is, regardless of your circumstances.  I have had so many friends in the last year either return to school or start school for the first time.   I am so incredibly proud of them for their drive and determination.  Even if you aren't on a weight loss journey of your own, I hope that what I shared today, shows that even when we think that we aren't going to make an impact or get an answer, we do and we can!!! Don't be afraid to try something new or do something because you don't think that it could possibly happen... Dream big and remember, opportunities abound.  You just have to take them!!!!