A Savage Girl's Reflection

Recently I attended a once of a lifetime opportunity through a professional association that I am a member of. This association that I'm referring to is the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. I've been a member since August of 2004 when I started Tennessee Tech University. We had a wonderful advisor and department head, Dr. Sue Bailey, that encouraged students to join and become part of the association. That's where I got my start with AAFCS. I later became my student unit chapter President and the state student unit Treasurer. This association has always provided me with guidance, new learning opportunities, leadership opportunities, and professional development from my very entrance into the profession of family and consumer sciences. I moved on to becoming a 4-H Youth Development Extension Agent when I graduated college in 2006, but I stayed on as a member of the association since I loved FCS and still wanted to have ties within the field. I moved jobs in the summer of 2009 and finally became a Family and Consumer Science County Agent. This was my "dream job" in the right location area and the right field...who would have thought that at age 24 I would have this opportunity?!? July 6th marks my 4th year being a FCS Extension Agent! Time has flown by!

This year the Director of the School of Human Environmental Sciences, Dr. Ann Vail, at the University of Kentucky encouraged me to apply for the Inaugural Class of the AAFCS Leadership Academy. A little scared and skeptical that I wasn't the "right" fit for the academy....I thought to myself "Why not apply and learn more skills!". I am a leader everyday in my community so this opportunity I thought would be able to help me daily achieve more within myself and the people I serve! My application was selected and  I got into the academy! I recently attended the AAFCS Annual Conference and the Leadership Academy...I just got back yesterday. A little tired but also ready to start blogging I started reflecting and this post evolved very quick.

Boy, did I learn a ton of information in the five days I was at this conference! Here are 5 things I want to share with you that I learned while attending the Leadership Academy and the AAFCS Conference. These are 5 things that anyone can do in their life:

• We should all STRIVE to THRIVE within whatever we choose to do in life. Maybe you don't want to be a member of a professional association like me, but choose something and do it well. Be need to be BRAVE and BOLD and take a stance for our beliefs in order to share our vision.        
• Sometimes in life you may need to change things up a bit, so Consider all your options and opportunities, Communicate your vision and dreams to others to gain a shared outlook, and Collaborate with others around you to reach your fullest potential and to achieve great things with the awesome potential of those on your team since together be are stronger!
• The difference in a Vision and a Hallucination is the number of people who see the dream, so don't forget to Consider, Communicate, and Collaborate with teammates.
• Kouzes & Posner via The Leadership Challenge (2012) say to LOVE what you do in life in order to:  

1. Model the Way
2. Inspire a Shared Vision
3. Challenge the Process
4. Enable Others to Act
5. Encourage the Heart   

• Be the FUTURE. Don't wait for others to lead the way...start now with yourself! "A leader's job is to look into the future and see the organization not as it is, but as it can be." 

While at the Leadership Academy I got the opportunity to do an activity called "speed-mentoring", kinda like speed-dating, in order to find a mentor to help me discover my next adventure within my career and with AAFCS. After many questions and a few short minutes with each potential mentor I narrowed down my list and Joyce Miles became my newest mentor in my collection of awesome leaders for the Savage Girl. I'm super excited about getting to know this lady and having her guidance within A Savage Girl's Life...

  

Last but not least if you are ever in the Houston, TX area you have to try out a restaurant while you are there called The Breakfast Klub. It has awesome southern soul food with great customer service that this Savage Girl highly recommends! It came highly recommended from anyone and everyone I asked while in Houston. "Katfish & Grits" and "Wings & Waffles" are their specialty and a trip to Houston would not be complete without eating breakfast here.

There is always a line at the restaurant, so come early to avoid a long wait if you are in a rush to get back to a meeting like we were. 

Wings and Waffles...breakfast of champions! FYI these are the first deep fried chicken wings/chicken that Savage Girl has eaten in over a year! Yes, they were worth the extra points! 

Some of the Leadership crew that escaped the conference with me for a few hours.