“Teach me something.”

Ok, sure.  I stand up, look at my two interviewers, and stand straight up, feet aligned in a flat line, toes and knees pointed outwards and legs pressed right up against each other – first position.  I smiled, looked at my two interviewees, Terry and Darren, and explained “I’m going to teach you the five Ballet positions”.  As I demonstrated and explained what I was doing while walking through the five ballet positions, I watched my interviewers sit in awe.  I was told after the interview, they were showing off the positions they learned to the other managers.

2007 when I first joined the Moxy team

In April/May 2007, I interviewed for the Client Support role at Advent Software, and was slowly nearing graduation from the University of San Francisco with a Bachelors of Science in Finance.  Finally reaching many milestones of my life, earning my degree in four years and landing my first corporate job immediately out of college at Advent Software, (one of the Best Places to work in the Bay Area per the San Francisco Business Times) I was ecstatic and full of life.

The Moxy Team and our cool T's

Between then and now, I joined the Moxy Team, became a Senior Client Support Representative, and then a Client Support Team Lead for the Moxy Team.  I ventured through many life’s lessons during this time and began to build my professional persona.

I went to Manila twice to visit our business partners.  I met such wonderful people out there and had a fantastic experience I can’t describe.

In January 2011, I was awarded the IMG Services Mentor Award.  It was the first year I had been a Team Lead and I was extremely focused on coaching and growth within my team.  I was surprised and definitely not expecting it, but very proud that Advent recognizes individuals for their job well done.

The Mentor Award is meant to recognize individuals who serve as role models, promoting the professional development of others and creating a supportive, positive working environment. Mentoring among colleagues is a crucial component of team development and retention and is an integral part of the culture at Advent. The employee nominated should act as a role model, and mentor within the Services team contributing to the education and guidance of others.

Six months fast forward, June 2011, reaches to where I am today.  After a lot of emotional conversations, I feel like it’s time to make the biggest decision of my life.  I have chosen to leave Advent at the end of the month to pursue one of the biggest passions in my life, photography…

There are still an infinite number of questions to ask myself, and still not enough time to answer them all.  From now until the end of the month, I will be solely focusing on my work duties and finishing up the 3 weddings and e-shoot I shot this past month and will be posting it soon.

Stay tuned for part II of my story.