Glenda Mitchell, BS, MLS

I'm a lifelong learner - I love learning and it keeps me pushing forward. My daughter asked me the other day if I ever get tired of being in school, because I had just taken another certification at work when I already had 3, and they were offering another 6-week certification program. I told her no, I don't get tired of it, because the thing is, the more you learn, the more you realize you don't know. It keeps me humble and keeps me growing. Being exposed to nonprofits has also shaped my success because you see people's pain, and you quickly understand that it could have been you - you're not exempt. I've met people who were way up there, like one particular guy who worked for Janet Reno, and found themselves in difficult situations. The realization that you're not exempt, that it can happen to you with just one wrong turn, one last-minute decision, or being in the wrong place at the wrong time, that's what sticks out with me more than anything and drives me to help others.

Find you a mentor as quick as you possibly can. When you know this person, especially if you're in academia or you're on your job and you see this person, you've watched them closely and you've seen it, draw to them like a moth to a flame. Because people like that generally don't mind sharing. You can't do it by yourself. You really can't. So much is required at such an early age without proper preparation, and young women today have to deal with things literally by themselves. Depression is now at an all-time high, isolation is real, and the concerns are valid - you can't trust everyone. But you still have all these requirements as a woman to show up and do all of these things, but she doesn't have nearly the amount of support or sense of community that existed 40 or 50 years ago when you had a village, a consensus of what was right and wrong. There was a uniformity, even a respect across different beliefs. That sense of community is lost now, so finding a mentor who can guide and support you is absolutely essential.

The biggest challenge is that so much is required of young women at such an early age without proper preparation or support. When you look back 40 or 50 years, you had a village, you had a consensus of what was right and wrong, what was truth and what was principled. There was a uniformity, and even if you weren't a Christian or didn't believe in God, there was a respect. Now there's so much breakdown in the family, in the community, even in church. Young women today have to deal with things literally by themselves. Depression is now at an all-time high, isolation is real, and the concerns are valid because you can't trust everyone. But women still have all these requirements to show up and do all of these things, yet they don't have nearly the amount of support or sense of community that used to exist. That community support has been lost. In my specific area of nursing home advocacy, there's also a critical shortage - there are not enough eyes in nursing homes to advocate for residents, and with 10,000 people turning 65 every day and 77% of baby boomers unprepared for retirement, the need is only going to get worse.

Integrity is absolutely essential to me. I hate a liar. I hate dishonesty. If it's negative, if it's painful, have enough love and respect for me to tell me the truth and let me deal with it. I value honesty above all else, even when the truth is difficult to hear. Beyond integrity, I'm driven by a deep sense of empathy and advocacy for others. Being exposed to nonprofits, you see people's pain, and you quickly realize that you're not exempt - it could have been you. I've met people who were highly successful, like someone who worked for Janet Reno, who found themselves in terrible situations. That realization that you're not exempt, that it can happen to anyone with just one wrong turn or being in the wrong place at the wrong time, that's what drives my commitment to helping others and treating everyone with dignity and compassion.