Brandi Stroecker

I think one of the things that have led to my success is being persistent. Mentorship has also been crucial - I've had several mentors along the way that have really encouraged me to expand my skills and capabilities and try new things. Those two things, persistence and mentorship, have been key to where I am today.

Say yes. It's probably the best advice I've ever gotten. Sometimes we question whether or not we have the capabilities to do something, or the time to do something. I've learned over the years to say yes to more things that push me, and maybe push me out of my comfort zone. By doing that, I'm building greater skills, resources, and building a larger support network. When I say yes to things that might not immediately be a direct alignment, but I can see that adjacency, it opens up new opportunities.

I would say to really lean on one another. That support system, that community of practice is so important. Learn from one another and lift one another up. Say yes to the opportunities that come your way, because you never know what partnerships or whatever might come from that. And then just don't give up when things get tough, because they will. Stay focused and be resilient. Don't give up when it gets hard.

I think there's a lot of opportunity around workforce development and making sure students are earning durable skills that will translate to whatever they want to do in the future, whether it's going to college, going to tech school, or going straight into the workforce. That's a great opportunity for partnership between education and industry and higher ed, bringing us all together to have those discussions. Some of the challenges are that not every student gets to experience that kind of learning. In our urban and rural communities in particular, the research shows that there's a huge gap and disconnect between what they get to experience compared to their suburban counterparts. Can we design experiences that are accessible no matter what zip code you're in? For me, a goal is just to create the conditions for other people to thrive, and education is a vehicle to do that.

I have a couple. Curiosity, for sure. You have to approach everything with curiosity. I think that helps with a growth mindset and seeing the positive side to really any situation that you're put in, so asking questions. Then, collaboration. We can't do this alone. We have to work together, lift one another up - the rising tide raises all ships. And then resilience. From my background, not having that support system, I really grew resilient in figuring things out and problem solving. Those would be the three: curiosity, collaboration, and resilience.