A year has never gone by so fast, but looking back so much has happened. I came into DC so nervous and excited for what to come. I fell in love with my new city, new house, new friends and new life. It was exactly what I wanted. Working at the Council has taught me a lot, inside and outside of my career. But has also shown me there is still so much to learn, to breakdown and to understand. The last few years I have had very set goals for my career (an atlas Corps fellowship being one of them). Now that I have completed it, while there is a fire under me to keep making a difference being and be inspired by the amazing social leaders I have met over the past year, I can’t help but feel at a standstill…where do I take it from here? My time at the council has helped me see where I flourish and where I tend to be less passionate or straight up, not that good at. I hope to find an opportunity that helps me harness those strength I have found into being a real asset.

This year has been Marchs, hockey games, Gold cups, happy hours, monument tours, concerts, world bank meetings, basketball games, classy brunches, yacht parties, baseball games, caps parade, 5km runs, petting farms, Shenandoah hikes, museums, amazing running trails, acro yoga, light shows, atlas corps gala, paint nights, wineries, skating and so much more.

I’ve traveled to Thunder Bay, New Hampshire, San Francisco, Vancouver, New York, Boston, New Orleans and southern Virginia.

I have fallen out of love and in love, I have faced fears, i’ve gone out on a limb, i’ve made an absolute fool of myself and i’ve proved myself right. Most importantly, I’ve been proud of myself, my accomplishments and where I have come since arriving almost a year ago. But don’t let that sentence fool you, I have also had plenty of failures, lessons learned, cry sessions, awkward moments and not knowing what the hell I am doing to go along with it.

Overall, I don’t regret a thing. I am so grateful to be here, for what I have learned and this life experience. I’ll never forget it, and know its helped build upon who I am and my story. I can’t wait to see where it takes me.

Thank you Atlas Corps.