What a high school club in the 90s taught me about Advocacy...

Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away called Long Island, I was a member of Youth & Government at William Floyd High School. I had a passion for debating and was not yet jaded by the politics of government. Through the program I learned how to propose a bill and lobby for it. I even got to work with lobbyists and research issues that were important to my teenage self. At the end of the year we would go to Albany to argue for our bills to be passed with our peers from other areas of the state.

The second year I received an award and a scholarship for my hard work and overcoming some medical obstacles. It was the first time someone called me tenacious. I will never forget how I felt when our Principal and head of the club Dr. Robert Feeney presented it to me.

Although my budding career in politics ended after high school I now understand the importance for speaking about the important things. I applied the public speaking skills and love for helping in many areas of my life. I am still friendly on social media with several of my classmates that joined me in Albany each year and have very fond memories of debates, long bus rides, my first visit to a vegan restaurant and some of the obscure laws we discovered through our research.

Fast forward 25 years since I graduated from William Floyd and I have used those advocacy skills in more ways than I can keep track of in both my personal and professional life. Volunteering, PTO, Social Committee, HOA board (ok this one borders on politics but I do it to make our neighborhood better) are all an integral part of my personal life. In my professional life well it has developed over the last 20 years into this fantastic customer experience journey where I get to help and teach and advocate through community forums, advocacy hubs and most recently I have been named an Oracle Ace. I will continue to be an Advocate for things, issues and people because it is in my nature and I believe you should do what you love.

The Oracle Advocacy Hubs powered by @influitive are going away but I look forward to the next incarnation. I have gained great friends like Erica Anderson and Val Savulescu through the years and will continue to grow my circle.

The moral of the story is you never know what you will take away from your experiences so whether good or bad continue to have them.

-JustRhianna