Hello Fellows! Hello world!

This is a blog entry about your life. Let me explain:

I just started working in the Education and Leadership Department at YP4, and I am still trying to wrap my mind around the potential for connections with the amazing people and programs here. I am hoping to use this space to pass along what I'm learning about how all of the elements at YP4 are interconnected, and can help us in our goal of sustaining and supporting ourselves and one another.

One of the things that has really impressed me during my short time in the office thus far is the effort to be transparent with each other and with Fellows when it comes to the way things work around here. This really resonates with me, as I have had to think long and hard in my personal life about what it means to live my life with integrity. Part of that for me means living my life out in the open.

I share an office with Sophia and Zach. They're both Associates with the Fellowship Department (hey guys!). I feel pretty important, because my name's on the door.

Beyond the fact that it's just cool to feel official, seeing my name in print outside my office is a pretty big deal to me, because this is the first job I've had where I have been able to go by the right name and pronouns. As a transgender person who's fairly early in the physical portion of my transition, it can be difficult to find environments where it doesn't feel paralyzing to do something as simple as introducing myself. Having a workplace where I know I'm not only safe but supported is revolutionary.

Living my life openly and with integrity is part of my participation in the progressive movement. My activism and my choices in life are an extension of my identity. Being aware and intentional about the way my actions affect other people motivates me to choose this path, rather than numerous other possibilities for my future.

After my time with the new Leadership Academy Fellows in West Cornwall, Connecticut, I began to realize that the same is true for most people in the progressive movement (April Joy wrote that moment during the retreat here). It is our experiences - sometimes painful - that have led us to devote our time and energy to making the world a better place.

In the midst of our hectic schedules, it's easy to lose that connection. To forget what brought us here.

Jason made some fantastic points in his blog yesterday about the importance of working together. I believe the first step is to know who you're working with and what motivates them.

It's vital for us to articulate what we stand for, but it's equally important to remember why. Hearing each other's stories and remembering the humanity that inspires us to take a stand can renew and re-focus our passion.

So tell me. Why are you here?