At 23, I was making $7/hour with no benefits. I didn’t even know what benefits were.
I answered an ad for customer service reps at T. Rowe Price. The hiring manager didn’t want to hire me — I didn’t have a college degree.
But I convinced him to give me an interview and promised I’d finish school, with no idea how I’d actually do it.
A few months later, a snowstorm hit. I didn’t own boots or a winter coat, but I made it into the office early. Weeks later, a letter arrived from the company President & CEO:
“Your dedication made it possible for us to open on time for the markets and our clients.”
That letter mattered. But the bigger lesson was this:
Showing up — even when it’s inconvenient, even when you’re underqualified, even when it’s uncomfortable — can change everything.
Fast forward ten years. I was applying to Loyola University in Maryland’s MBA program. On paper, I wasn’t qualified: didn’t finish high school, no college degree. But I had something else.
Months earlier, I had shown up for a nonprofit in my community.
A contact there wrote me a great recommendation. When I asked if he knew George Collins — the same executive who had written me that letter a decade before — he did.
And Mr. Collins agreed to recommend me for the MBA program.
Against the odds, Loyola said yes. And three years later, I walked across the stage and earned my MBA.
That’s the power of showing up!
– Show up for your employer.
– Show up for your community.
– And, most importantly, show up for yourself.
It won’t always guarantee an easy path — but it can change the trajectory of your life.
👉 I’d love to hear from you: What’s one moment when simply showing up changed everything for you?
Define Yourself
“Her story attracts scrutiny.” That’s what a journalist once wrote about me — and he was right, though his reason
