"Goodbye FOAP" Banquet Speech

"Goodbye FOAP” Banquet Speech I can't tell you how difficult it is to describe how sad I am for my Orientation Team Leader experience to be ending. When I was hired so many months ago, I never would have realized how connected I would become to such a funny, energetic, and warm community of people. Many times I have been awestruck by the hard work and dedication exemplified by the entire Experience LSU staff and by the efforts made by other on-campus departments and communities that make our program possible. When I look back on my time here as a staff member, I will remember the many invaluable lessons I’ve learned from this office and its employees. To list a few: • There’s no elevator to success. You have to climb the stairs. However, the people you meet along the way will lift you up just the same. • Life and its many wonderful experiences are short, but your khakis should never be. • Sometimes the unexpected has a way of sneaking up on you, like a parent in a scheduling room, but it’s the attitude you choose when faced with adversity (and helicopter parents) that make all the difference. I had so many reasons why I wanted to apply for this position. The most compelling, and one thing I loved the most about this job, is its potential to impact our campus, its surrounding community, and subsequently the world. This job and this program are like no other, because we wake up everyday with a mission to be a powerful force for good. We wake up everyday and strive to make the places and people we encounter that day better than when we first found them. Maya Angelou once said, “I think a hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all.” Being here today, to see you all here in front of me, the last time all together, is something I will treasure for a very long time, because my heroes surround me and I have the privilege to also call them my friends. Before wrapping up, I would like to take a moment to give a special thanks to some of those people who have helped me the most on this long journey. Kelli Webber: Kelli Webber has always been someone that I’ve greatly admired, since first becoming an LSU Ambassador. Embarrassingly enough, until I got this job I was far too nervous to talk to her. However, I’m glad she took a risk on someone she barely knew and picked me. In the short time I have known you, Kelli Webber I’ve learned so much about the friend, the leader, and the woman I want to be. You embody the message “lead by example.” Your compassion for your students, your ability to empathize with them,

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