Who Inspires You?

All of us have someone that inspired us to go into the profession or who encouraged us in our GLACUHO journey. In my speech at the November conference I shared that Cathy Bickel made me feel connected to GLACUHO during my first conference in Evansville, Indiana. It was the start of my story.

I was also inspired to many other times as I traveled through this journey. I felt a tug to become more than a committee member when Dan Pedersen announced at the Winter meeting that the board would be taking nominations for the open Indiana delegate position. Melissa Patrick, former staff member and then hall director at Purdue had a personal family tragedy that pulled her from the position unexpectedly. I remember feeling that this was my time to try to help a friend and try to answer a tug I had been feeling for a while. I knew I wanted to become more involved but was not sure how. This call for nominations was my opening. I was fortunate to have served that year with the board.

We are a supportive profession and I have found that when I hit a tough spot on my campus or a stagnation in my professional development there have been people in GLACUHO who challenged and supported me when I needed to take a step forward.

Who has inspired you along your GLACUHO journey? What did he/she do to encourage you?

Take a few moments and share your GLACUHO inspiration with us. I look forward to reading the responses.

And So It Begins....

And so it begins with the first post. In my transition speech at the 2009 GLACUHO Annual Conference, I spoke about the power of stories.

GLACUHO is an Association rich with many stories that have had an impact on us personally and professionally. It is my hope that over the next year this blog will be one way for us as individuals who make up a greater association will share our stories.

As the Native American Proverb goes, "It takes a thousand voices to tell one story." Well, GLACUHO, we may not reach a thousand posts for this blog over the next year, BUT I am sure we will find our unique way to share some of the stories that have enriched our lives and the life of our Association.

In what ways have you grown because of GLACUHO? What can you share that will show the impact this Association has had on you personally and professionally? How has your candle been lit and shared in your time with the Association? Whether this was your first confenence or your 20th, there is no doubt you have much you can share. Will you take the time to share your favorite conference memory? I hope you do. I am looking forward to reading and posting the stories to the blog.

As you come up with your stories, please send them to glacuhostories@gmail.com. Be sure to inclued your name, institution, and any other pertainent information for the post. Pictures are welcome as well as ideas for design of your post. Once I have the information, I will post it here for us to share.

This is going to be a great project and I cannot wait to see the stories we will be sharing. GLACUHO, have I got several stories for you!

See you back here soon!

With GLACUHO Pride, Laurie Berry University of Southern Indiana GLACUHO President 2009 - 2010