Growing up, Dad taught my sister and I that, to be adaptable and successful, we had to be prepared for learning moments, which might not always be comfortable. Success never comes without taking risks, and there will always be surprises along the way. Dad taught me to use every experience in my life as a foundational moment—not to be stopped by adversity, to look for and learn from the lessons from any situation and build from there. College is the perfect place to practice this. Whether inside or outside of class, I’m always looking for learning moments, and I welcome new experiences. 

From my early teenage years, Dad encouraged me to set goals, whether it was something as simple as picking up a hobby, trying a new sport or learning a new skill. Setting measurable goals didn’t have to be rigorous, they just had to be things that were important to us and could be achieved. To this day, I still like to keep a list of my goals for the things I’m doing and I’m interested in.  

When I showed up to college for my freshman year, I saw frantic students everywhere, trying to manage all of their newfound responsibility. I felt mentally prepared, and that made a huge difference. I had all the goal-setting, money and time-management skills established before I left home. And, yes, I will admit to Dad (and the world) that it’s due in part to the skills I learned growing up.

Luckily, I was raised by a dad who worked crazy hours and an insane day-to-day schedule. People ask me, ‘Why is that lucky?”. Thanks to his busy professional life, Dad had to learn how to prioritize time for himself and his family, and it took work. Of all the lessons I’ve learned from him, this is the one I remember each day. Dad put relationships first, and in addition to setting aside time to make sure he was available to all of us, he also made it a tradition to take my sister and me on individual father-daughter trips each year (something we still do).