Board and Advisory Members

Growing up in a small town with a large family, I felt very loved and supported, but I still had SO many questions about how to do this thing called “life.” I made many mistakes, made a lot of not-so-smart choices that cost me in consequences that, unbeknownst to me at the time, sometimes reappear in adult life. Despite these mistakes, I am thankful that I had loving, caring parents, adults and mentors throughout my life that helped me to navigate through the good, the bad, the difficult and the joyful times. My parents, as I’ve come to appreciate years later, allowed and even encouraged me to dream, dream big, risk big and that it was even okay to fail big! They taught me how to get up again and again! Once again, unbeknownst to me at the time, one of the many great lessons any parent could instill in their child, the lesson of resiliency and having an attitude of learning, always learning and being grateful for the lessons learned, proved to be a lesson that I’ve had to draw upon time and time again.

The reason why I love YLA and volunteer with YLA is because I was once a teen who, despite growing up in an loving, encouraging environment, was STILL confused, sometimes even afraid of the unknown. And as exciting as taking risks and discovering new frontier about oneself and this world was, I know what it feels like to doubt, to have fear, to not feel good enough, to not feel capable or able, even as a talented, straight A student! I want to help other teens to feel and to know that it is perfectly okay to not feel “okay” or to know everything, to have all the answers, to know how to do everything. That is not your job. I believe the “job” of a teen is to simply discover – discover who they are, what their gifts, talents, callings, skills, passions are, the God-given greatness they were created for, what their contribution to their family, their community, this world will be, learn how to be the best human being they can be in service to others, and to grow in confidence with each mistake that has been overcome and made right, every lesson learned and every discovery made. What I love about YLA is that the various programs offered allows for the youth of our community to experience such learning and discovery. The programs provide a safe space for learning ideas, processes and skills that are vital to being a contributing member to our families, friends and community. The programs provide an environment for making mistakes, and learning to clean them up in a way that is positive and helpful. They provide place for being challenged and learning outside of a classroom all while being supported, encouraged and loved. Many children do not grow up in an environment that fosters such growth. I know and have seen first hand as a volunteer with at-risk teens for over 20 years. YLA fills that very gap. It is because of these reasons and so much more that I am proud to be a YLA volunteer and am humbled to serve on the Advisory board. I hope that my own life experiences and learning, along with the knowledge that they are supported, believed in and loved will help to encourage, motivate and inspire the youth of today.