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.
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| 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?
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| 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,
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| 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.
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| 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.
