MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2022

 MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2022

Miscellaneous Stories from graduates

Over the years I’d have some great students (and some not-so-great).  This week I’m going to highlight some of them.  (Names have been changed)

ABBY DID IT

When I first had Abby, I didn’t know too much about her.  Just a student, maybe a little older than the typical college student.

As her advisor, I found out she had a toddler daughter and was balancing work, school, and a baby as a single mother.  Abby wasn’t the top of the class - although she could have been - but she didn’t have enough hours in the day for that.  The traditional aged students could have classes, clubs, organizations, and parties - and still had time to study.  Abby squeezed every second, every minute out of the day.  We arranged her classes to fit into a block so she wouldn’t have to come to campus multiple times, but get what she needed on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays in the morning.

But, she was a good student (and from my observation, a good mother, and a good person).  

I helped her get a summer paid internship with one of our prime employers, and that resulted in her being hired right after school the next summer with a great paying job.  

She fit in well with the company and got training on the SAP Platform the company was implementing.  Soon she was getting phone calls from recruiters - AT WORK - because she was good at SAP.  Modestly, she turned them down, even for offers with 10%, or 20% more money.  She didn’t feel she was a star SAP developer yet.  

She reflected on the offers.  Was she good enough?  Did she want to leave the company that had given her a great internship and training on SAP?

Finally an offer came that she couldn’t refuse.  It meant relocating to a different state with a substantial increase in pay.  She has been with the company for over 25 years now.  

But, more than that, she is still the good person she was as a student.  She has three children, one in college, one in a great medical field job, and the youngest still in high school.  For several years, she and her family have hosted an international student.  She emulates love and positivity.  I get Christmas Cards from her annually (and those cards take a prominent spot on my refrigerator.

Abby - I am proud of you - proud of your abilities, attitude, and your service mindset!!!

****

BARB’S TEAM WAS INNOVATIVE

My second story today is about another student, I’ll call her Barb.  But, it is also about opportunity.

One of our employers uses truck drivers for their business (as well as our talented computer students).  They want to make sure their drivers are reliable, law-abiding citizens.  

So, they first got data about traffic violations and compared the data to their database of drivers.  The data is generally public information as police departments have to maintain records of speeding (and other) tickets. Barb was part of that project - aggregating the data so it could be used to verify that drivers were safe and violation free.

The project was good for the company and the drivers.  The drivers knew they had to be safe - no “driving under the influence” (DUI/DWI) and the company knew they had great safe drivers.  

The project was very successful - and resulted in the department that gathered the public data being able to use it for their own drivers, but also as an income generating process, where other companies came to Barb’s company to see if their drivers were also safe and violation free.  The product was spun off to make a new company that handled driving data for other companies.  (I think of this product like the “WhitePages.Com” and similar companies that use public data to give addresses and phone numbers about individuals).

Barb was Tom’s advisee and I know Tom keeps track of her success.  (That is what good professors do to their former students)

*****

For today, I have a third example - unfortunately a negative example.  

BAD HABITS ARE HARD TO GET RID OFF

Carl was an army veteran.  I had him in at least three classes and was impressed with his programming and technical skills.  

But Carl had a problem with alcohol.  Smart that he was, he couldn’t overcome this issue.  I tried to help him with an internship, but the alcohol kept him from being successful.  The last I heard of Carl, he was working for a Dollar General store as an employee, living at home, and drinking his life away. 

I have felt sorry for Carl.  He had promise, he had the ability, he COULD HAVE BEEN a good information systems employee - but let alcohol derail him.

*****

There is a statement - “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity”.  For Abby and Barb, their preparation was ready for opportunity and success.  But, for Carl, his preparation just didn’t help him overcome his bad habit.  

So, what does that mean to me (and us)? It seems like I am always looking around to see what might be an activity that would fit me.  Yes, I am retired and doing things I like - but this week, I said “Yes” to a coaching/tutoring opportunity, 

We can only change ourselves - through learning, studying, and being prepared.  

Are you (and me) ready for that opportunity that is just over the horizon?

LOVE WINS!!!

Karen White, September 19, 2022, ©