Toastmasters and Mentors

The last few months or so have been very exciting.  I not only attended the Tennessee Government Leadership Conference, but also my first TGL Toastmasters meetings.  The conference was wonderful, and really broadened my perspective yet again.  It is really inspiring to see somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 people all in one room, sharing a common goal.  Seeing the first Black Belts awarded in the state's Black Belt Program was fun because I became a White Belt earlier this year after graduating from TGMI.

I could see very clearly as I sat at the conference that there is energy here, and a real desire to serve.  A "Service Oriented" mentality was not really instilled in me when I was young, but being a part of TN State Government has really provided me with an example that will stay with me forever... they seem to embody the mantra of this state. Tennessee is The Volunteer State, and it isn't hard to see why.

As I listened to a speaker at the conference talking about the TNAchieves program and the difference it can make for high school students transitioning to college, it really struck home with me. I was certainly one of those "high risk" students - first generation college student from a low income family and soon to be single mother.  I had no idea what I was doing, and despite my best efforts I made huge mistakes along the way.  If I can somehow be the difference for another student, like myself, who may not have a resource or someone to encourage them along the way then perhaps one more person may find the satisfaction of success.  In December, I attended a TNAchieves Mentor orientation so that perhaps I can make a difference in someone's path to higher education!  I'm really excited about it.

My first Toastmasters meeting was also interesting.  I'd never attended a meeting before, but had a general idea of their purpose.  Plenty of times in the past I've seen little ads hanging up to advertise their meetings but I was always rather intimidated (yes, even the INTJ gets intimidated).  While I was at the conference, I wandered over to the TGL Toastmasters booth and spoke to a woman named Shana who was very kind.  I expressed my desire to come but told her I was hesitant because I wasn't very familiar with the building and didn't know where the meeting was held exactly, and I didn't know anyone at the meetings.  After a few minutes conversation we parted, and I was sure I could work up the courage to "show up" at a meeting.  (I'm not sure why, but it kind of feels like busting into someone's party doing such a thing.  Would alarm bells go off? "Intruder, Intruder..."  The reclusive side of me dreaded such a thing but my curiosity was warring for me to take the step.)  The following week I received an email from Shana.  I was very surprised because I'd never written down my name at the table!  She offered to meet up with me before a meeting, introduce me to some people and explain the flow of events.  I was very relieved and made plans to meet up with her that coming Friday.  Shana is now my mentor for Toastmasters and I am extremely excited to improve my speaking skills.

How serendipitous that I should both become a mentor and find a mentor, all within the same few months.  I don't know exactly what 2016 has in store for me, but I do know that it won't be dull.