Life Changing Moments

You usually don't realize when a life changing moment is happening until well after the fact. In Milwaukee Wisconsin in the summer of 2005 I had one of those moments. It was at the ACUHO-I Annual Conference & Exposition (ACE), and Tracey Mason-Innes, who was the Canadian District Representative on the ACUHO-I executive board at the time, stopped to talk with me. She was one year into her two year term and she suggested I should consider running to succeed her.

At the time I was only a few weeks into being the OACUHO President and it had never occurred to me to serve on the ACUHO-I executive board. Fortunately, the seed Tracey planted with me began to grow and a year later I was the Canadian District Rep. Serving on the board has, without a doubt, been one of the most powerful professional experiences I have encountered in my career. Not only did I greatly expand my knowledge of student housing and my network of colleagues considerably, but I was able to participate in the tremendous growth that ACUHO-I has undergone recently.  In a little over five years ACUHO-I has been transformed into an association that has become a model for others.

Being actively involved in this transformation has made me a more effective professional.  The benefits have far outweighed any costs in time, energy and resources. To be recognized by my peers on top of what I have already received has been humbling. Last month at ACE in New Orleans I was fortunate to receive the Global Initiatives Award. Its quite an honour to be recognized by one's peers. Thanks Kate, Chad, Dima and Tracey for nominating me.

One common piece of advice we offer to students is to get involved. Join a club, a choir, a team or anything that will allow you to develop and get more out of going to college or university. I believe the same advice applies to being a professional, especially those who are newer professionals. Join a committee, run for a board, present at a conference or anything to develop and maximize your potential as a professional.

Lastly, for those of you who follow my blog I apologize for the gap since my last post. A wonderful new addition to my family has meant the time usually devoted to blogging has instead been spent changing diapers, making funny faces and melting at each and every smile :-)