Thankful

❤️ T H A N K F U L ❤️

3 years ago, I took a leap of faith. I left the comfort of a job I had been in for 5 years in the nonprofit world at an organization I loved, Wounded Warrior Project. What started as a search for change and adventure turned into a blessing.

Here’s the thing. When you’re blessed with exceptional leaders, you strive to be better at everything you do. While I was at Disney, Glenn Green blessed me with his vast experience and knowledge of all the things that were part of the Disney way. He set the standard for me for what an excellent leader looks like. When I left Disney, I was in search of MORE. I wanted to do something that made a difference and even more of a blessing than working for Disney, I found myself at Wounded Warrior Project. There is no work more important than giving back to our veterans who selflessly defend our freedoms, but selfishly, I was again blessed with not just a leader who taught me the importance of teamwork but someone who became one of my closest friends as well, Ayla Tezel.

When I left that job, it was TERRIFYING. I left my comfort zone, but I was searching for something more for my life. I wasn’t 100% certain where it would take me or how long I would be there, but I found myself here at Syniti – an industry I came into knowing nothing about, but they trusted my knowledge of social media and took a leap of faith when they hired me. Now 3 years later, I found myself yet again surrounded by an excellent leadership team: Stephen Drowne, Tracy Accettullo, Zarina Stanford, Kevin Campbell, Rex Ahlstrom, and so many others. 

I guess what I’m trying to say is THANK YOU to each and every one of the leaders who has helped shape me into the person I am today. I was shocked and awed this week to be recognized as the one of the Synizens of the Year. I’ve been floating on Cloud 9 since I found out. I haven’t had many words to say because I’ve just been so shocked, but the words I keep finding myself saying are thank you. Thank you to the leaders I’ve worked for, the leaders I haven’t worked for but I’ve watched lead other teams, the leaders from school, college, and grad school – I’m just so thankful for each and every one of you.

The moral of this is: surround yourself with people who make you want to be a better person – both in real life and the digital world.

❤️ B L E S S E D ❤️