An Unexpected Lighthouse

Ten days have passed since this event occurred and I've stared at the keys on this laptop each day trying to decide how to capture my thoughts. The hesitancy comes from doubt that I could articulate what it means to me combined with some fear of it seeming self-serving. In the end, I decided to post because I believe the message is an important one: you never know in life when you are having an impact on someone. At a time when our world is in such turmoil, how important it is that we do our best to help others.

The last few years have brought the loss of many things we hold dear: some irrevocably tragic, others missed opportunities. Certainly, I am not comparing the loss of study abroad opportunities to the physical loss of loved ones that so many have experienced due to the pandemic. But I do believe that for many students, the impact of the pandemic on lost study abroad opportunities has been immense. It's not just the chance to see new places and make new friends; but more importantly, studying abroad is the chance to learn so much about yourself, gain confidence, push through tough situations, embrace change rather than fear change. To say it is a life-changing experience is not cliche, it is truth. And my heart aches for college students that have had this opportunity taken away from them due to world events beyond their control.

In 2000, my husband Jimmy and I had the great blessing of becoming involved in the Cimba program in Paderno del Grappa, Italy. We have spent 22 summers teaching there, one semester, and numerous graduate offerings. Our kids love it as much as we do and consider the Veneto one of their most cherished places - and we all six think of the faculty and staff of Cimba, as well as our friends in those beautiful towns, as family. I have taken UA students to Cimba for all of these years and Cimba has hosted more Walton College students abroad than any other program. I'm blessed to have some amazing friends on our UA campus that help recruit for Cimba, most notably Kim Petrone, Megan Hull, Sarah Malloy, and all of our past Cimba-Hogs who consistently give of their time and energy. They are talented, creative, and generous in their efforts to give students this opportunity. And of course, the Cimba staff in Italy is absolutely the best study abroad support system you could ever find. All of this combined with Iowa's support makes for an unforgettable experience. This summer, Kim Petrone and I took 61 UA students to the beautiful Cimba campus, thanks to the amazing efforts of all those mentioned above. Which brings me to the present.

On July 14th, Jimmy and I drove to Iowa to participate in the 2022 graduation of the MBA cohort which included many students whose undergrad degrees are from the UA. 140 of us gathered for a beautiful awards program celebrating students, faculty, and consulting accomplishments. As the evening drew to a close, Al Ringleb and Cristina Turchet said they had one more award to give. Little did I know they had emailed Jimmy last March to tell him about it (and who knew Jimmy could keep a secret??).

I was caught up in Al's words, thinking about people that had been difference makers for me. In his words, "I want you to take a minute to think about the lighthouse in your life. Who is the person that maybe at some particular point, when things were difficult, and you lost your sense of hope, you lost your sense of purpose? But that beam of light came along and gave you energy, at the most difficult time. I'm going to tell you who ours is at Cimba." I heard Al's voice catch, and then saw him gesture to me, and then felt Jimmy's hand on my back to move me towards the stage...truly something I will always cherish. Whew, I'm hesitant to post my subsequent remarks because I. WAS. RAMBLING. 100%. But somewhere in that rambling, is the truth of how I feel about our Cimba family. Cimba has given our family the gift of our favorite moments, our "month of Sundays" for over two decades. They have given me friends who I truly consider family. To be clear, when I say "Cimba" I don't conceptualize that word as a company; rather it is an irreplaceable group of founders, students, faculty, and staff that are responsible for the best, truly the best, study abroad program in existence. I don't have words to adequately explain the constant innovation that Al and Cristina pursue, the visionary excellence, the minutiae of strategic details, the non-stop investment of time and money and HEART to change the lives of others.

There are so many people that have worked so hard to keep things moving forward, to continue to give students the opportunity to have this life-changing, life-giving experience. Al and Cristina, thank you for your thoughtfulness and your words ... and for this gorgeous award that serves as a reminder of so many people I love. And a reminder that sometimes we never have any idea of the impact that our actions can have on others. In truth, YOU all are the lighthouse. And it's been my great blessing to be part of this journey.

[Thank you to Zac Stockton's mom for capturing my rambling words] ... a few of the Cimba photos from over the years. Our kids are now 26, 24, 23, and 21 and three have studied abroad through Cimba. Want to learn more? Check out @cimbamolly on instagram :) And can I add, University of Iowa is an amazing campus with amazing people - if you haven't been there you need to check it out.