"Flying By." July, 2015; Leaving Antwerp, Belgium

They always say that life flies by when you’re young, when you’re having fun, when you’re not paying attention; so the idioms carry on. What might surprise this third person plural entity to which we give so much power over our behavior, is that time also flies by when you put your nose to the ground and work tirelessly toward a goal that is so very close to heart.

All four family members
gathered for the first family
photo since the divorce.

After five intensive years of my Bachelor career to earn two degrees -one B.Sc. and one B.A.- working two jobs simultaneously to pay for them, studying abroad for three semesters, and taking two summers of extra classes, I thought I had clearly understood the definition of exhausting yet rewarding ambition. I was wrong. There was still that itch for something greater, something which I had not yet uncovered, that I had to do. I had countless meetings with advisors and respected professors at the University of Northern Colorado as well as career mentors with whom I had associated along the way; this led to a clearer idea of the field to which I felt called: international, cross-cultural, innovative, and strategic management implementation. The problem was, none of these professionals nor myself had the faintest idea of what this actually could mean, but we had a tracing of a path that might lead to this Bermuda triangle into which I would quickly yet not quietly disappear. Rather than desperately job-seeking in the trenches alongside all my fellow colleagues following our basic qualification of a diploma, that path etched out the idea of a graduate degree. Abroad. I knew that if I wanted a career to stretch across the borders of the United States of America and the united countries of Europe, then I would need to stretch my accredited education as well. The perks of that include a new adventure and a slightly more affordable tuition bill. Tireless hours of searching and applications led to a full calendar of interviews and deadlines during a pressured final semester at UNC, but it was all worth it when the Antwerp Management School said yes. AMS was my top choice in European universities for its location in Western Europe, AACSB and European accreditation so that I could repatriate when and if need be, and a clearly outlined leadership development track. It was in Belgium, which was a land in which I had not yet in my life set foot. Not only that, but I accepted and moved there (after painstakingly following toilsome visa documentation procedures) without knowing a single soul within the Belgian borders.

How’s that for a sense of adventure?

The Ferris Wheel at Antwerp Central
Station made for an astounding welcome.

So here I am, 10 months after I began lectures at AMS. I just completed the most difficult year of my life financially, academically, relationally, and mentally. The laudable news is, this challenge has shaped me in ways I am still struggling to comprehend. I have two new, incredible best friends from Belgium who invest fully in my life and future. I have an outstanding long-distance relationship that we have managed to build to extraordinary heights over the last four years. I have visited so many new places and deepened my understanding of the French and Germans languages, as well as added some basic understanding of Flemish. Not only that,

Antwerp's MAAS area made a great place
to picnic and bike-ride with my new friends.

 but after applying thoroughly for 35 positions, I was invited to join the team of an inconceivably amazing firm which just so happens to be my dream job, a dream which shaped itself over the last several years. Needless to say, my life flew by this year. It wasn’t because I was too young, because I was having too much fun, or because I wasn’t paying attention. It was a combination of being young and ambitious, having a life-changing experience, and working to the constant best of my abilities in order to achieve unbelievable heights in my personal life story and my career.

Voted Vice President of the Student Council,
I was honored to share the graduation speech.

Idiomatic expression or not, what comes next will be one for the history books.