As a storyteller, one of the genres I’ve loved all my life are superhero stories, including watching DC and Marvel stories on the big and small screen. In workshops on storytelling, I’ve asked folks to think about their origin stories, and as I wrote my posts for July 6 and 13, and today’s, I realized these posts share key points of my own origin story.

Now, at the end of my last post, I’d just moved to Michigan State University (MSU) in July 2006 to start my Master’s. However, we need to jump back in time ever so slightly to February 2006. After wild travel days involving airports, plane mechanical issues and de-icing, mid-west US weather involving tornadoes, wind, and ice storms on the same day, renting a car and driving through the night, I made it to MSU with about two hours to spare to start my Spartan Preview Days interview. The exact moment I knew MSU was the right fit for me was when one of our faculty members commented “whether or not you choose MSU, we’re excited to welcome you to the field of Student Affairs.”

The two years I spent at MSU were such significant years for me – moving away from home, having my own apartment, fully coming out and getting to be even more myself for the first time (and of course there was that time I took the Amtrak to Chicago to see Barbra Streisand in concert ). From the faculty and staff I worked with and was mentored by, to the cohort I shared this experience with, my assistantship in Residence Life, and teaching a student leadership course, my time at MSU was one of the most meaningful, exciting and impactful learning experiences of my life.

While there are many stories of those learning moments, the one I want to share today is another example of kismet in my life.

In my second-last semester of graduate school, I had the opportunity to co-teach a for-credit, pass/no pass course called EAD 315: Student Leadership Development for MSU’s College of Education. Through asking the question “what comes to mind when you hear the word leadership” EAD 315 gave students the opportunity to begin or continue their exploration of leadership theories and skills, self-awareness and efficacy, communication, diversity, teamwork, and group dynamics, through readings, reflection and in and out of class activities.

It was this experience that ignited my passion for youth leadership development and in turn set me on a career trajectory that’s led me to who and where I am today. This experience also led to three important lessons that have forever shaped how I approach my work:

1. In our section, many of our students were in their third or fourth year, and as a result, lesson plans continually changed to better meet their needs, including helping them prepare for job interviews and their transition out of MSU. This is where I first learned about how interconnected leadership and volunteer experiences are with the articulation of career skills.

2. The pass/no pass nature of the course showed me the power of learning for personal and professional development’s sake and focusing on the significance of the learning experience and its applicability instead of a “right” answer or grade.

3. The course also introduced me to some of the authors, leadership books and theories I have used throughout my career, some of which I talk about in my March 1 blog story called Exploring Leadership, Diverse Narratives and Practices.

Coming Up Next on the #WhatsYourSparkBlog
August 3: I’m excited to welcome Remy Quiroga to the blog. In their post, Remy will write about their experience of being Trans Non-Binary, exploration of genders outside the binary, and how to be an affirming person for someone who is!