A Fellow Living the 'List'

You may ask – what am I learning?  Well, I’ve been learning a lot of new things, but most recently, that you can’t trust a Wabash boy!!  Yes, Blaine stole my picture to use in his blog.  So, in response, here is another picture.  Notice how Blaine isn’t fighting back in this one.

Something else I learned over the last week is to not take the people in your life for granted.  I met some amazing people at DePauw, and over my four years there, they became like family.  It is easy to think that those people will always be around, and then after graduation everyone splits off in different directions.  Being back together with everyone at the Monon Bell game really made us all appreciate the time we have together.  That weekend was one of the best experiences I’ve had.

The transition from the college “bubble” to working in your first full time job in the “real world” can be tough, and now I’m realizing how important the Governor Bob Orr Fellowship has been in that process.  At the Orr Fellowship Reception on the Circle last week, I was asked several times what my favorite part of the Fellowship is.  My answer is simple: the people.  Being a part of the Fellowship opened up more connections than I ever thought possible.  It helps ease that difficult transition by surrounding you with friendship, guidance, and unique opportunities.  The current Fellows have already become a social network and support system.  We are all working in high-growth Indianapolis companies and can share our experiences and learn from each other.  The alumni offer their experience and advice.  The executives and directors are accessible and volunteer their time and energy to contribute to our personal and professional development.  When I joined the Orr Fellowship, I was welcomed with open arms into this fantastic new group of people. 

All of the candidates I met last week at the Reception on the Circle were incredibly intelligent and motivated individuals, and it was great to have a chance to get to know them.   I’m looking forward to see who moves on to Finalist Day.  And I can’t wait to meet my new group of friends… I mean the new class of Fellows.

So despite the fact that we’ve been trained to be enemies during our college careers and we might not like to admit it, Blaine, Ty, Natalie and I are all actually friends.  Maybe sometime I’ll put up a picture where we are all being cordial.  If only we can get Blaine to agree to take one…