Watching Their Dreams Come True—and Mine, Too

Last week, I flew to Tampa, Florida, to attend graduation at the school where I’ve been teaching for the last few years. As I wrap up my seventeenth term and prepare for my eighteenth, I’m feeling especially grateful.

I’ve always believed that one of the greatest privileges of my work is getting to play a role in the development of others. Whether I’m teaching future nurses, developing leaders, or encouraging someone as they figure out what’s next, there is something incredibly meaningful about getting to walk alongside people as they grow.

This trip was such a beautiful reminder of that.

I finally got to spend time in person with amazing colleagues I’ve worked with remotely for years. I attended a potluck with the core faculty, toured the school, and visited with the dean and campus president—two people I’m grateful to consider friends as well as colleagues.

And then I got to be in the room as students I once taught walked across the stage.

That was the reason for the trip, and it was worth every mile.

Some of the professors who meant the most to me throughout my own education were the ones who made sure I knew I mattered. I’ve carried that with me into my own classroom, and I hope my students know that they matter to me, too. Getting to watch some of them fulfill the dreams they’ve worked so hard for made me realize that, in a way, I was watching one of my own dreams being fulfilled, too.

Of course, I managed to squeeze in a little Florida fun while I was there. I took a quick drive to Clearwater, explored downtown Tampa, and had a beautiful view of the bay from my hotel room. It was a short trip—and I definitely spent more time traveling than I did actually being in Tampa!—but I’d do it all over again for the memories made on Friday.

Getting home was an adventure of its own. Weather in Denver extended my first flight for hours before it was safe to land, and my connection to Colorado Springs was delayed for several more. Michael came to get me in Denver, and after a whirlwind few days, I was very happy to be reunited with my guys—Michael, Oliver and George—and my mountains.

I’m grateful I had both the opportunity and the capacity to go. I’m grateful for the relationships that can grow across miles and computer screens. And I’m especially grateful that so much of the work I get to do—whether in a classroom or in leadership development—allows me to invest in people and cheer them forward.

What a gift to watch people grow into what they’ve worked toward.

And what a gift to come home.