Thank you to my boss who started this incredible adventure when she forwarded the Millennial Impact Fellow application. Thank you to the people who created cell phones and accessible video apps which allowed an amateur like me to create a Youtube video. Thank you to the New Profit team who spent hours reviewing applications and extended an invitation. Thank you to my school administrators who were excited that I was selected and helped accommodate my absence. Thank you to my sister who let me crash in her college dorm room so I could have a more affordable early morning taxi ride to the airport. Thank you to Southwest for one of the most fun plane trips I have ever had as we celebrated our pilot’s last flight before retirement and Mardi Gras in the airport.

Thank you to New Profit for choosing a lovely location and putting together a seamless agenda. Thank you to the wonderful employees at Chateau Elan: the chefs who created many exquisite meals, the chauffeurs who amiably conversed with us during the drive to our rooms, the housekeeping staff who ensured our comfort. Thank you to the many speakers and panelists who encouraged us to ask challenging questions and continue to seek answers, who introduced us to the city of Atlanta, and who shared many stories of resilience and inspiration. Thank you to the many individuals I connected with, including others invested in rural America and working in school systems.

Thank you to the all of the other Millennial Impact Fellows. Thank you for staying up past our bedtimes to tell stories around the multi-colored fireplaces in our sweet villas. Thank you for spontaneous adventures like the trip to Waffle House. Thank you for our Millennial table in the front and for supporting each other when we shared our stories or voiced our thoughts before the entire Gathering. Thank you for the jokes and the shared meals. Thank you for being an incredibly supportive group of listeners and for our commitment to continuing to inspire change both as a group and in our own communities.

Thank you to my friends, teachers, and family members who have been the support network that helped me get to where I am today. Thank you to New Profit for starting the Millennial Impact Fellow program and funding our travels. Thank you to AmeriCorps and College Advising Corps for creating this amazing program which has helped me grow so much. And thank you to the students I serve and the community that has welcomed me in my current position as a college adviser. You are the dreamers, the warriors, and the souls who inspire me to fight every day.

Read more from our other Millennial Impact Fellows here!