The Ripple Effect: Making an Impact beyond your lifetime

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Hi Jane, I wanted to share this with you and thank you for the ability to inspire others. YOU are the one who made this possible for me and I will be forever be grateful. 
Don

Such was the note that arrived from Don Holzworth, Executive in Residence at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, earlier this week, sharing a message from a young woman who is committed to living a life that matters.

Dear Don,
I trust you are well and surviving the very cold winter you are having in NC. Perhaps you recall that we met about a month ago when you presented to my UNC DrPH cohort (9) on leadership. We spoke briefly after your dynamic session that left us all spinning (in a good way!), and then again at your home for the DrPH gathering. First of all, thank you for your investment of time that week to deliver what I felt to be timely wisdom.

I was most intrigued by your focus on imagination and how to best cultivate this amid an often chaotic and demanding environment. You shared that perhaps it’s best to carve out a few hours each week—or longer—to reflect, think, and dream. I’ve begun applying this practice since returning to Kenya (my current home), and I am quickly developing a fresh perspective and a desire to lead unconventionally, disruptively, and creatively. As I shared with you in person, I feel there is this fire of creativity somehow trapped inside of me—I’m learning to cultivate it and welcome it out. I’d be happy for any further thoughts that you may have to share about this.

Thank you, too, for providing an environment for us to interact and network with other professionals in our field. My current efforts with Strategic Applications International, a business aiming to build up local capacity to increase impact in the developing world, will be enhanced greatly by the insights gained from such remarkable individuals and institutions who are blazing the trail for the rest of us.

Thank you, Don, for your commitment to cultivating great leaders, and please let me know if you are ever in the East Africa region.
Best regards,
Whitney


Blog: http://whitneyfry.wordpress.com

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