It’s amazing the things you can achieve, when you open your heart and ears to listen to where God is calling you to be.
Since graduating from Pepperdine in 2017, I had a gut feeling I was supposed to live in the south, specifically Dallas, at some point in my life. I ended up landing an amazing job at Extra TV upon graduation, so I chose to stay in Los Angeles, for which I am so grateful. Working on an Emmy award winning Warner Bros. television production has been the experience of a life-time and I have absolutely loved my life in Los Angeles. However, that gut feeling about Dallas kept quietly tugging on my heart. I continued pushing those feelings aside, until one day I realized this was something God purposefully placed on my heart. I had never felt so called and convicted in my life, but didn’t really know why God wanted me in Dallas. So I decided to at least explore my options and give it a shot.
I made a phone call to one of my mentors, Marlene Klotz-Collins - a member of The Salvation Army National Advisory Board, to see if she knew anyone in Dallas she could connect me with. She immediately offered to connect me with The Richards Group whose biggest account is The Salvation Army. The following morning, I woke up to a stream of emails with kind words of recommendation from Marlene and The Richards Group offering to speak with me and help me along my journey.
To give you a little background, I have been serving The Salvation Army since I was very young and it has remained an organization very near and dear to my heart. I was raised in a family that placed a high priority on volunteering and we always loved serving The Salvation Army. We volunteered in The Salvation Army Christmas Angel Warehouse and adopted a kettle each year outside of our local Hobby Lobby. While in high school, I wanted to continue serving an organization I loved so much and also find a way to engage my peers. So I created The Salvation Army Red Kettle Club where we not only rang bells each holiday season, but did year round service projects. I was able to meet with the top leaders and advisors of The Salvation Army at national meetings and conferences; I was even honored with my very own Red Kettle. Ultimately, The Salvation Army is an organization I have always loved serving and hearing that The Richards Group ran their account felt like a total sign from God.
The Richards Group set up a few preliminary phone calls for me to speak with their Public Relations team members; I was able to learn more about the agency and they were able to decide if I could be a good company fit. After completing multiple preliminary interviews, The Richards Group told me they were considering me for a position on the Brand Public Relations team to work on The Salvation Army account. Everything was falling into place. After eleven total interviews, I was offered the Brand Public Relations position and accepted! So I will be moving before the end of 2018 to start a new job and new life in Dallas, Texas!
I’m going to miss the ocean, the mountains, the sunshine, the perfect weather, but mostly I’m going to miss the people. The past five years in California have been life changing. It’s where I found my faith and was baptized in the pacific ocean. It’s where I received my college education. It’s where I met the greatest friends I could ever ask for. It’s where I started my career and worked with some of the very best people in the industry - many thanks to my amazing boss, Tommy Post, for giving me my first big break. California has been a beautiful place to call home, but it has always felt like home because of the people I love so dearly. They’re the reason it makes this farewell so bittersweet.
I couldn’t think of better words to explain this adventure than the way Bob Goff so perfectly describes:
It's not a trip where He sends us a rigid itinerary, He simply invites us. God asks what it is He's made us to love, what it is that captures our attention, what feeds that deep indescribable need of our souls to experience the richness of the world He made. And then, leaning over us, He whispers, "Let's go do that together.”
This next season will be full of changes and adjustments, but I am truly excited for the challenge, because I know God is leading me exactly where He wants me to be.