Today, I had to do something that I have been dreading for awhile; I had to say goodbye to Jennifer. How do you begin to say thank you/goodbye to your mentor? I really thought we were going to do this tomorrow but Jennifer called me and told me to stop by her office this afternoon. I knew what we had to do. She knew what we had to do. We had to say good bye. We know we won't pop into each other's office any more. We know we won't work day in, day out anymore. We know change is a comin'.
Jennifer and I go back all the way to my junior year in college. She taught me research methods. Now doesn't that class just sound sick! Who looks forward to learning about quantitative or qualitative research? I really wasn't jumping up and down looking forward to the class. However, Jennifer presented it in a way that I understood it. Her teaching provided a solid foundation of knowledge for when I had to take research methods in grad school.
It was in research methods, that I found out about her family. She would speak about her husband and would show pictures of her absolute doll of a toddler. It was also through this class that I realized Jennifer worked in Extension. I knew she was someone I wanted to keep in contact with since I was pursuing Extension. I tried to meet with Jennifer outside of class and visited her during office hours. Jennifer even joined me at lunch one day as I scarfed down ham fried rice from the Student Center. It was through this class that I began to see how much Jennifer cares for not only her family but also her students.
Fast forward a few years and I suddenly found myself in Extension working as an Associate for a financial management initiative. Jennifer was the specialist and I now had the opportunity to work alongside her. Y'all I was GREEN in the beginning. I was in grad school, happy to make a real paycheck, and trying to figure out what exactly Associates do. Jennifer, took me under her wing and I learned from her. Don't get me wrong I had plenty of trial and errors. There were several times I felt like I could have done better but knew the growing pains would pass with time. Jennifer supported me when I was learning those hard lessons.
I love presenting with Jennifer. When she talks to agents you sense the amount of respect they have for her. Agents know she is going to produce good work and she does what she says she will do. We work in a day and time when people are always "busy" and say they will do it but then fail on their promise. Not Jennifer. She always is thinking about the agents and their needs in the county. It was this mindset that helped me realize that I work for the agents. I am their resource. Simply, if it wasn't for the agents, who would my clientele be?
Through our presentations, we have heard each other's stories countless times. I know what the next point Jennifer is going to make. I know no matter how crazy her day was, she will give an informative presentation full of financial facts.
I say all of this to tell you that our experiences together made today that more difficult to say good bye. Not only have I found a mentor and colleague, I have found a friend. Jennifer knows all about my life and I know about her's. In three short years, she has given birth to sweet baby girl, I have graduated with my Master's, got engaged, and planned a wedding. That is a lot of life in 3 years.
As sad as I am today, I know that I have a mentor for life. I know I have someone in my corner who I can bounce ideas off of and get advice. I trust her opinion and know she will bring a great perspective for me to consider.
Before I went to Jennifer's office for the last time I prayed to God for courage and strength to say good bye. As I entered Funkhouser and rode the elevator to the third floor, I knew the time had come. I walked into 319 and sat in my normal chair. We talked for 2 hours about anything and everything. We did a great job avoiding the pink elephant in the room. When the time finally came to say good bye, we hugged 3 times and surprisingly I held it together. I attribute this to God. I walked out with the promise I would see her in July sometime for lunch and assured her I am a quick email/phone call away.
It was in the stairwell that I became emotional. All of the sudden the stairs became blurry and I had to hold onto the rail. I couldn't be strong anymore. The tears and sniffles came and I embraced them. As sad as I was to leave her, I knew I had 3 great years with my mentor. How could I be sad? I can only be thankful. I made it outside and read the card she gave me and had to take a little moment. I sat on that picnic table knowing that change isn't easy, this is only the first of many good byes in the next few weeks, but how thankful I am to have people like Jennifer in my life.
JH, I love ya and "THX" for a great 3 years.
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