During my late teen years I had my first exposure to managerial assignments with an environmental company. It was during this time that I realized that even though I considered myself to be a very shy person, somehow I had this ability to get people to listen to my opinion and even agree with me. This was ratified by an entrepreneurship course that I was taking during my senior year of high school. The professor always commented that I had innate leadership ability and our famous discussions around whether a leader is born or made really affected me. I still remember being puzzled by all of this. I had my mind set on pursuing an engineering degree after high school. I love math and the sciences and really did not see myself as a good candidate for any field that would require great exposure to and dealings with people. However, soon after this, I began to visit a local church in the heart of metropolitan Toronto. And after a very short period of time I found myself leading the youth group and having to boldly step out of my comfort zone. I realized then, that perhaps public speaking wasn't so bad after all. Maybe, I was being called to do something relating to it.
Since, I've made it a point not to settle for anything that seems to be the right thing simply because I feel comfortable doing it. The biggest lesson I learned was that people should strive to go beyond what they conceive as their natural abilities or strengths, and really push themselves to the point where their comfort zone is stretched to allow room for growth. This is not to say that I feel at ease anytime that I have to speak in front of a crowd; it's just that I've found that which really pushes me to the edge of what I perceive as my main strength and humbles me to the point where truly the best of me can surface.
Presently, I work for the YMCA of Eastern Union County. I was initially hired as a technical assistant, but shortly after, I was promoted to Associate Director of Technology & Property Mgmt.