I am an extrovert through and through. I enjoy spending time
with people, working with people, and investing my time in people.
This quality is reflected both in my strengths and the activities in
which I am involved:
» Leadership. 
People know that I genuinely care about them. This, along with the capability and relative wisdom that I possess, compels people to entrust me with leadership and responsibility. I have always held positions of leadership, whether they have official titles or not. I
am proficient at seeing the big picture with problems, determining key
objectives leading to a solution, assessing the strengths and
weaknesses of team members, and strategically delegating tasks to
maximize the strengths of the team and achieve goals for clients.
» Motivation.
I
have been nominated as "most inspirational" on sports teams more than I
have MVP, and I'm proud of it! I see encouraging others to be their
best as one of my greatest natural gifts and this is always a benefit
to any team or group that I am a part of. 
This
quality, together with my inclination to leadership, has helped me to
be a strong mentor. Again, people recognize that I genuinely care
about them and it enables them to trust me with the areas in which they
need support or need to grow. I have served in this capacity as a
youth and college ministry volunteer and active member of my residence
hall community at PLU. It has also been an asset to me as a member of
sports teams and on projects for classes and clients.
» Teamwork.
I
work great in team settings. There is something truly beautiful about
working alongside other capable and driven individuals who are just as
passionate about achieving excellence as I am. I know that I have
strengths and limitations when I work on my own, but in the case of a
well designed team, the whole is always greater than the sum of its
parts. Apart from my personal drive and motivation that I bring to a
team, I appreciate teamwork for what I am able to learn from my
teammates. All of my final projects in the PLU School of Business have
been team efforts and this has helped me to recognize the need for
teamwork while teaching me to better thrive on teams.
My love for people and my drive for excellence are rooted in my conviction to the two driving forces in my life: Love
the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind and with
all your strength... and love your neighbor as yourself. There is no
greater commandment than these. -Mark 12:30-31
I
am admittedly wild at heart. I love adventure and feel that the
riskiest place to be in life is my comfort zone because that is where
I'm most likely to miss out on all their is to enjoy in life and this
world. My hunger for adventure has led me to pursue the following:
» I don't limit myself.
Marianne Williamson's poem, Our Deepest Fear,
addresses how our "playing small will not serve the world." In
response, I try and live the "go big or go home!" motto. I love taking
advantages of opportunities to test my abilities and grow and am not
afraid to fall on my face occasionally if it keeps my momentum going
forward. I am committed to a lifetime of learning and development and
know that challenges are my greatest friend from this perspective.
» I love to explore.
Whether it's people, the wilderness, cultures, cities, countries, or even myself, I am blown away with all there is to
explore in this world. I thrive doing anything in the wilderness:
hiking, mountaineering, kayaking, trail running, biking, snowboarding,
etc. I love to travel, especially when planning is limited. So far
I've explored much of Europe, the US, and Central and South America,
but 
all
of that just whetted my appetite. I love exploring new ideas through
interactions with people and exploring new and innovative ways of doing
things. New might not always be better, but I feel that I'm better for
having experienced or understood things that are beyond what I knew
before. With globalization and constant advances in technology
increasing competitiveness in all markets around the world, I feel that
this quality will keep me from allowing my perspectives, knowledge, and
skills from becoming obsolete.
» I love to serve with excellence.
Although my over-achieving spirit has gotten
me into trouble at times, I can't help but get excited about
all of the ways that I can use my talents, education, experience, and
enthusiasm to help meet the needs around me! One of the greatest
lessons that I learned at PLU was how to strike a healthy balance in my
life so that I can fully devote myself to the things that I am
passionate about rather than diluting the potential benefit that I can
add to things I am involved with. When I do commit, however, I give it
my all and don't settle for anything less than top-quality. When
working on a team, I encourage and expect the same dedication to our
work and for our clients from my teammates.
» I love working hard and making a substantial difference through my efforts.