It finally happened. I fulfilled the epitome of an intern duty and went on a coffee run. It only took me 13 weeks but I finally fetched coffee (it was enough coffee for a 50-person workshop, to be specific).
As I made this realization on the way to Starbucks, I laughed, and then realized how lucky I have been this summer. I walked into Floricane in May not knowing what to expect. I was eager to learn and ready to be challenged.
I learned, I was challenged, but most unexpectedly, I was welcomed with open arms as a part of the team. I was given business cards, put on the website, and asked my opinion. I was trusted to go out on my own and represent Floricane to close clients and friends. And every week, for better or worse, John let me voice my thoughts and reflections on this blog for the entire world to see (hello entire world, thanks for reading).
This quick and intentional integration into the Floricane family was a gift beyond what I expected.
As I journey back to Nashville to wrap up my degree, I will bring with me a vast knowledge of leadership development. I will bring a language to talk about self-awareness and other awareness (though it might be interesting when it’s a foreign language to all my friends and classmates). I will bring a remembrance of the power of gratitude. I’ll bring a connection to a group of people and a community.
I will bring all these things, but I will bring so much more.
So John, Debra, Theran, and Caroline, thank you. Thanks for accepting me and teaching me. Thanks for treating me as an equal and valuing who I am. And thanks for creating a space that was so much more than coffee-fetching and paper-copying.