Liz Murray

WT added another thing to it's resume when it comes to changing my life last night. Every year, we have something called "Communications Week". Last year I didn't participate but last night I went to the guest speaker they brought in. Her name is Liz Murray and she's probably mostly known as the "Homeless to Harvard" girl. To kind of explain her story, I've linked a video below so you can get a better feel about her than I could ever describe.

I'm not going to lie, at first I wasn't planning on going to this speech. I was supposed to work the reception beforehand for the Eternal Flame and decided that after the reception, I'd go do homework. But after going to the reception, I decided to join my friends to watch the speech. It was definitely a night full of learning for me. 

When I showed up to the reception, I learned it wasn't really for students, more for the big, important people that help run the school. I talked to people from the Board of Advisers for our college and other people I'd never dream of being in a room with at any other time. It was definitely a learning experience on smoozing. 

As we went into the lecture after the reception, I was hoping it would be a 45 minute thing followed by 15 minutes of questions, then we'd be done and even kept checking the time for the first 10 minutes or so but Liz finally sucked me in and I never wanted it to end. She was the right sort of entertaining and inspiring that after the lecture, I wanted to go out and do something productive. Here was a lady that was homeless and STILL made something of her life, after a speech like that, you can't feel sorry for yourself. And it's really made me step up and reevaluate where I am right now. How can I continue to better myself? That's the burning question that I have in my brain.

It's been 24 hours and I'm still attempting to digest everything I heard last night and how it affects me. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to sit down and be totally honest with myself and figure out how I can't only help myself, but also help others like Liz Murray did. I'm definitely going to get her book soon so I can be reminded about the speech and think about the "What If" she brought up when talking about life changing moments. Like she said, a life changing experience can be inches away from you at all times, I'm ready to find that experience and take it head on.