Action in April
April was a busy month for ODC. In the span of one week, I had the chance to work with three great groups. The week started with a group of student affairs colleagues at Illinois State University (ISU) going through the Redbird Edge program. They were energetic, thoughtful…and forgiving (I went to the wrong building and was a few minutes late). We had productive conversations and I’m excited to be part of these ongoing conversations on my home campus… Go Redbirds!
I had a chance next to talk with a group of high school students from all across Minnesota as part of Work Skills Challenge Day. This was a fun group as I got to think back to my own experiences moving from high school to college. I’ll give this group credit as they gave me a question I’d never heard before. I’m not well versed in what it takes to be a professional bounty hunter… I’ll be sure to look in to that! Kudos to all of the teachers and other staff who put this event together for students.
I closed out the weekend talking to town and city planners in Illinois. Our conversation moved beyond the higher education sphere to looking at creating a community grounded in belonging. I am hopeful this session sparked folks to improve their communities as they returned home.
The month of April reminded me that I love my work with ODC. It also reminded me that this work is exciting and important but also time consuming and tiring. I enjoyed the great span of topics we covered and conversations that were had. Every corner of society can benefit from belonging and we all have work to do. Thanks to everyone who was willing to be part of this important work in April. We can collectively move the needle on belonging and your work and effort are critical to that process.
I can’t let a recap of April go without shouting out my Creative Consultant and Marketing Guru, Hannah. She did fantastic behind the scenes work to make sure workshop materials were top notch. This allowed me to put my best foot forward, look far more organized than I truly am, and invest my time in the core mission of ODC. Thanks Hannah!