The Week I'll Never Forget//WWTB

This is a series of blogs that I will be posting over the next couple of days because it was a humongous week.

9/9/2017-9/17/2017

I ended up going back to campus after the storm. That was September 12th, which led me into my birthday, but today is not the birthday post day. That's for tomorrow. I mean, even on my birthday, which was September 13th, the only thing that I could possibly think about was my talk the very next day at the Straz Center for the Working Women of Tampa Bay.

What can I say?

The day of the talk I was an absolute wreck. I was nervous to have my first drafts fail me in substance and authenticity. I was going to give a talk that I had just nailed down a week before. (That sounds negligent because I knew of the talk months beforehand, but a fun fact is that I usually wait until the last minute to prepare talks and speeches so that I am speaking from my heart rather than rehearsing a methodical presentation.) But finally the day had come. I tried up there, y'all, I really did. I gave it all that I had because the story that I told on that stage is my story, or at least the most important story to me right now. It was hard getting up there because it felt like a lot of pressure, but after all was said and done I was relieved to have said the last words of that talk. It was done! Or so I thought.

Before I could return to my seat the founder of Working Women of Tampa Bay took to the stage and said with tears forming in her eyes that they were about to do something that they had never done before. A $1,000 scholarship was given to me in honor of an upstanding community member. I was the first recipient. *Cue crying on stage and sniffling back to my seat.* I will write more on that scholarship and that community member as soon as I get a couple more details, I want to do her and the honor justice.

After, during, and before the talk I had the opportunity to meet the women I look up to the most, as they are the women I aspire to be. They are CEOs, presidents, business women, and just all-around, successful women who live and work in my home, Tampa Bay! I hugged them, shook their hands, laughed, and networked with as many women as I could. It was empowering to hear their stories of adversity turn into tales of strength and positivity. Over the two days of the conference I learned that we, especially as women but otherwise as well, need to learn to bloom wherever we are. Everyone has a story or situation, but mindset and motivation are truly the determining factors as to where you'll end up. That idea rings true from me, the youngest speaker, to the self-made millionaires who spoke at the conference as well. Don't stay down! Make the most of your situation. Turn your pain into a fiery passion. Strive for grace, not perfection. Grow a tribe of amazing people to surround yourself with. Invest in yourself and others...

Speaking of investments... (Now I'm crying on my keyboard.) The only reason I was able to go on to that stage in the first place is because of an organization called frameworks of Tampa Bay. I was a head and heart award recipient after participating in a program called teens in action that allowed me to over 10 months learn so much about social and emotional learning and the importance of its application in my life and the lives of others in order to make responsible decisions. During that award acceptance speech I mentioned that I was a scholarship recipient in order to be in the program. We could only afford to go halfway as far as affording my spot in teens in action. It was an investment made by my parents but also by scholarship donors and donors to the organization in general. It changed my life. Today just so happens to be the day frameworks kicked off their annual fund drive there year's campaign being cultivate a community of caring. After this post goes live I will be donating $25 to frameworks fund drive. It is in hopes that they continue to find kids just like me and change their lives too.

One more blog left to this series! See you tomorrow!