The Final Days in the District: Change is Ahead

The Final Days in the District: Change is Ahead

"But it's my home, all I have known

Where I got grown, streets we would roam
by: Brad Phillip Weisberg

Uncovering the Scraps from the Past Two Years

     As I sit here dusting off my furniture and recycling extraneous remnants from these past two years, I begin to visualize the moments, both happy and sad, that I have witnessed here in DC these past two years. Two years ago, I made the bold decision to jeopardize everything that I worked hard for in South Florida, in search for something bigger and better. I left nothing on the table, including my long-distance relationship with my at-the-time serious girlfriend. Lost and unsure of where I was headed in life, I came to Washington, DC with a very open mind. Over these past two years, I’ve learned alot about myself; challenging myself to reach outside of my comfort zone in more than one way. They say experience is your best teacher; the experiences that I had the opportunity to take part in during my time here in D.C. have challenged me, bending me in different directions and forcing me to grow into the man I am today, much stronger and better fit to maneuver through the obstacles in my life.

Realization Leads to Growth

    When I first moved to Washington, D.C., while it’s hard to still admit, Iwalked down Pennsylvania Avenue with balloons hanging over my head. I believedthat the world owed me something, and that based on my professional andpersonal experience, I should not of had to wear the same shoes as everyone else and walk down the same road as others. After graduating from college, I considered the name of the university on my diploma to be a true measurement of my intelligence and potential; influencing my perspective of employment trends for recent grads, and how I felt more deserving and qualified than others, mainly those who graduated from less prestigious universities. Week after week, application after application, interview after interview, the anger continued to kick in. Forced to find a means to survive in this expensive community, it was time to put my ego to the side, grow up, and get a job, ANY JOB! If you want something bad enough, you MUST make sacrifices; it was time for me to make mine.

       After volunteering, interning, and working as a development, event planning and marketing professional out of undergrad, I thought that I wanted to work towards the role of Chief Development Office (CDO) for a major nonprofit health brand. Working in a fast-paced, sales environment has slowly sucked away my passion for fundraising and development; what once brought me joy has caused me much difficulty and personal conflict. I’m not knocking those who wish to pursue careers in nonprofit development.  Many of my closest friends and colleagues are extremely intelligent, driven and passionate individual who are making adifference in the world. I’m someone who lives to be challenged; needing to live everyday with purpose, and knowing that when my time comes that I lived a meaningful and a life of fulfillment. I am incredibly grateful for everyone who has mentored me and gave me a chance, and I will take many of values, skills, and experiences with me to serve as invaluable resources as I continue my education, spread my wings, and build myself into a successful global healthconsultant.

And we are lead to those, Who help us most to grow if we let them, And we help them in return

            People come in all shapes and sizes,your friends included. Over these past two years, I’ve really evaluated my friendships; realizing that it is time for change. Most of my friends growing up in Boca Raton, Florida still remain to be my closest ones; our values,beliefs, and socio-economic backgrounds tend to mirror each other. Time truly does make one’s bond stronger. Life markings; watching each other struggle, as well as celebrate, draws you closer to one another. Growing up, I’ve been that missing link; the one keeping everyone connected to the string. As someone who values the relationships I’ve built both in my professional and personal life, it’s extremely difficult for me to cut people out of my life; though I’m realizing that it’s time to adjust how I measure the strength of my acquaintanceships and friendships. Founding the chapter of my fraternity at the University of Miami and being a brother of the chapter at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill really opened my eyes to the diversity that exists in the world. A brotherhood is a microcosm of the world; although we may share similar cultural values and are attached by a status marker, we’re all built differently, in both a physical and mental sense. There are brothers who were All-State and All-Country wrestling champions, brothers who graduated at the top of their class, even brothers who were average in every way possible,which there’s absolutely nothing wrong with, no matter how others might have viewed them. Although we were all brothers, over time we really learned who we could count on in the middle of the night; those who were loyal, trustworthy, and not going to go behind our backs and bad mouth us, or try and sleep with our girlfriend out of envy.

          Being the good guy can be an extremely exhausting role, trying to see the good in everyone while blocking out their flaws. College and my past experiences have taught me that it’s best not to set any expectations;expecting others to do what you would say or do only leaves you frustrated and angry when they do not deliver. Selfishness is a trait that exists in every single human being; don’t fault others, just learn how far you’re willing to go for others. Over time, you will learn whether or not something or someone is worth pursuing. From being in a fraternity, working in many different environments, and opening myself up to form relationships with people from all walks of life, I learned that people come into your life, and exit just as easily. Individuals are not necessarily bad, it’s more of a concern of compatibility.

         Growth will continue to take place in your life, my life, and in everyone’s life. Especially in these years, a transitional phase, we’re continuously discovering new things about ourselves. Living in a city, that was once foreign to me, for the past two years has had an incredible effect on my personal and professional development. As I pack my bags and make my way to New Orleans and Tulane, I will take the lessons that I learned in the office and on the streets of DC as I continue to carry on in this adventure called “life”.