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Thursday, April 06, 2006
Reach Out
Rick recently asked me if I would contribute to RISEN this month, and in my enthusiasm to catch up with you all, I agreed. Then it hit me today, the day I have to submit something – what on earth of interest will I contribute?
The creative portion of my brain has all but disintegrated from the daily routine of executive tasks, which chain me to my desk the first week of every month. Inter-office reports of the month past and projections for the month ahead don’t make light reading or inspire creativity. So what can I share that’s remotely interesting? I can’t even share mild gossip as many of my colleagues are across the Atlantic and only a couple of our tutors are local, and the routine exchanges mostly consist of administrative news anyway. Suddenly it all feels so… remote and pretty lonely in here and out here.
Then I remembered the congratulatory email I sent to a recent graduate this morning. Perfect, I’ll write about Heidi Bateman!
I genuinely remember when Heidi enrolled three years ago. The US division of Rhodec was still relatively young and we had only just started introducing our students to the newly recruited US tutors. Heidi, like many studying with Rhodec, met challenges along the way. The usual and inevitable ‘hiccups’, which non-traditional learning induces. You know the kind of thing, right?! Fortunately Heidi addressed these with us, we did what we could to help and she overcame them and continued her studies, graduating last month.
As I followed up with her again today I remembered her early years and that wonderful sense of accomplishment (I know, I know, like I’m the mother of dozens of children?!) that we all felt. ‘We’ being Heidi, the dedicated tutors that guided her through her studies, the Rhodec staff and (like a proud mother) me! I asked her if she would mind being the highlight of my article and thankfully she agreed adding:
"As an aside, I have opened a design firm in Seattle called "Swank Design" with a partner who is a designer/graphic artist. We are focusing on designing interiors and finishes for vacation homes in the San Juan Islands (north of Seattle) as well as homes in the city itself. Our website http://www.swankdesign.org/ will be up and running soon for anyone who is interested in seeing what a Rhodec grad does after finishing that final test.
So, while we don’t bump in to you down the hall, or in the pub after class, we do feel we know you. One of us, somewhere around the world has more than likely just virtually bumped in to you. It could be that your tutor just read an email from you, or graded your test, or someone in the office has opened your file and entered that grade. It’s often me too, just checking in and wondering how my ‘first-borns’ are doing.
Now if that doesn’t make you feel all loved, warm and fuzzy, I don’t know what will. What does mother Rhodec want to see in return? More!
I want to brag that ‘my’ boys and girls have done better than anyone else’s. I want graduations, work experience, successful NCIDQ exam results and the pitter-patter of ASID or IIDA professional memberships!
Contributed with pleasure by:
Susi Santorelli
IDEC, IFDA, IIDA Industry Partner
Faculty Advisor Rhodec/ASID Student Chapter
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