You made a difference award

The "You Made a Difference Award" is something that Leigh (my HD from my 2nd and 3rd years of RAing) instituted.  Each week at our meetings, a staff member would receive this award from the previous weeks recipient.  I really enjoyed this process because it made me remember to really appreciate all the little and big things my fellow staff members did for me and for others.  It was generally a morale lift for me.  

The other day I was thinking of instituting a modified rendition of this award on my blog (no string-bean clip art included--sorry Leigh!).  I will be trying to, once a week or thereabouts, acknowledge someone who has made a difference in my life.  I by no means intend this as one of those blog meme tagging hurrahs that circulate, I do however encourage recipients to try and thank someone who has made a difference in their life if they wish to do so.  

Without further ado,  the first You Made A Difference Award(blog edition) goes to Leigh.  I decided to give it to Leigh, not only because he introduced me to the You Made A Difference Award (ResLife Edition), but because he made a profound difference in my life on many occasions.  As one of his only introverted RAs , I definitely had different needs than some of my staff members.  Leigh helped me to find a voice in the often times overwhelming amount of extroverted energy.  He also taught me the importance of taking care of myself  so that I could be there for residents and co-workers.  Leigh was constantly challenging me and my co-workers to reflect on how we thought about a multitude of important issues.  Through out my time as one of his RAs, he really helped me to challenge myself and to grow while still respecting my boundaries.  He also cared enough to drive me to the emergency room when I stapled my thumb one night.  He went from being one of my supervisors to being a friend.  So Leigh, if you are reading this, thank you for taking the time to make a difference.  You are a rock star!