Starting a New Chapter

The view flying into CHO

June 4, 2012

I started this post mid-flight on my last trip back to the East Coast with Virginia as “home.” Having just moved in to a new neighborhood in Northeast Minneapolis, I was overwhelmed with excitement for and anxiety about starting a new chapter of life post-Darden.  I was already feeling homesick for Charlottesville, and I was searching for reassurance that change can be good.

Jasmin at Pleasant Hollow Farm in 2002

As I stared longingly at the regal Blue Ridge Mountains below, I was reminded of the journey that brought me to Virginia the first place. In 2009, I wrote one of my grad school admissions essay about my dear friend Jasmin Edson and how her wise counsel and quiet encouragement helped me to make the bold decision to ride full-time after college in 2005. It was not easy, but that turned out to be one of the best and most powerful decisions of my life. My years riding in Virginia brought so many wonderful people and experiences, and they will forever influence the way I think about the world, people, relationships, and, yes, business.

Sitting on a hay bale in the aisle at Pleasant Hollow, Jasmin had taught me that there is time and space in life to pursue our many different passions.When it was time to leave The Plains, thinking of her during the grad school application process helped me again to find the courage to leave a place I loved to make another major life change in the decision to attend business school. 

The final dinner of Learning Team 38

Remembering this as we landed in CHO, I suddenly felt a sense of calm. When I came to Darden, I didn’t know how to add in Excel, I had never heard of NPV, and my Learning Team was a cast of strangers. I felt a sense of dread driving down 29 South similar to the one I was feeling now. Two years later, Charlottesville had become home in every sense of the word. Change is scary and will continue to be, but reflecting on this experience, I recognize that having the audacity to explore uncharted territory and start afresh and the conviction to pursue my passions has always enriched my life. 

Last week, June 12, marked nine years since Jasmin passed away after a tragic riding accident. Remembering her every day but this week in particular, I can't stop smiling, knowing that I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to live the dream in Virginia and that I still have the courage to to think big and the ability to make things happen. I will strive to continue to do so in Minneapolis, Rwanda and beyond. Enjoy the ride.