RE: From Platform to Boardroom: Why Taking a Risk Matters

Michalle Adkins — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 19:10:21 GMT

Great story! Thanks for sharing!

RE: From Platform to Boardroom: Why Taking a Risk Matters

Emilee (Bannister) Cook — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 18:10:19 GMT

Thank you Laura! You and your story are both so inspiring! While it is not an engineering story, one of the best risks I ever took was in college marching band. I had played the flute for years and upon joining the band my first year of college I realized the flute section was full of drama that I didn't want to be a part of. I had decided that I wanted a change, but what to? A small traditionally more female-friendly instrument like trumpet or clarinet, or do I completely change it up? One day, I jokingly exclaimed to my friends that, "Hey, I'll just play the sousaphone!" ( A sousaphone is basically a large tuba that sits on your shoulders.) They immediately shut it down saying things like, "But you're a girl!", "There's just a bunch of guys in that section", and "That's too big and heavy for you to handle!" In a Back to the Future "Nobody calls me a chicken" moment, I decided to take the risk and just do it! This was one of the best choices I have ever made. I learned how to humble myself and learn, struggle a bit, build physical and emotional muscle, and how to interact with a bunch of men (ultimately preparing me for my engineering career).