Samantha Szynskie

I attribute my success to leading with love — love for what I do, love for the people I support, and love for the community we are building together. I have been a volunteer in this program since I was 20, so this work has genuinely been part of half my life. When I took over the organization, it was on the verge of dissolving, and knowing that I stepped in and kept it alive — for a purpose, so that others can experience what it truly feels like to have a friend — that drives everything. It is not easy, but it is meaningful, and I know I am making a difference. I also credit the mentors and family who have shaped me along the way — my parents, grandparents, and extended family who grounded my values early on. One professor in particular, Patti Caro, supported me through a very difficult internship experience and gave me the guidance I needed to keep going. Though she now lives in Florida, we have stayed connected, and her impact on my path has been lasting. Above all, the community I serve remains my greatest inspiration. Seeing over 100 participants experience genuine friendship and belonging is the reason I show up every day.

The best career advice I've ever received was a simple reminder: "We're getting there...but we are also HERE, now. " When you're building something new, it's easy to focus so much on where you're headed that you forget to appreciate where you are today. There is always another goal to reach, another challenge to tackle, and more room to grow. But it's just as important to recognize how far you've already come. Taking time to celebrate progress, acknowledge accomplishments, and appreciate the learning and work happening right now creates the momentum and perspective needed to keep moving forward. Growth matters, but so does recognizing that you're already building something meaningful today.

Be the change you want to see — and understand that no one else is going to do it for you. You also cannot do it alone, so get comfortable being uncomfortable. Put yourself in spaces where you will learn, grow, and connect with others. Early in my nonprofit journey, I joined the Nonprofit Leadership Institute in my community — it was the very first cohort — and from there I discovered Leadership Portage County. Those experiences led to relationships that have directly expanded our program's reach. I met instructors, speakers and fellow participants that have become stewards of our Friends - inviting us to participate in their activities, volunteering with us, hosting or sponsoring events for the Friends, and giving generously in donations to support our mission. Join something local, network intentionally, and trust that the discomfort of growth is exactly where the opportunity lives.

One of the most persistent challenges in my field is the lack of authentic social connection available to adults with disabilities. Isolation remains a real barrier, and shifting the cultural lens — from caregiving to true friendship — requires ongoing education and advocacy. Sustaining community-based, relational programs also depends heavily on funding, volunteer engagement, and long-term partnership investment, which is never guaranteed. That said, I see tremendous opportunity in the growing willingness of local businesses and organizations to participate in inclusive programming. Partnerships like the one we have with Delta Dental of Wisconsin and our local Elk's club reflect a meaningful cultural shift toward shared community responsibility. I also find great promise in the organic growth happening within our program — friendships that extend well beyond structured events and into everyday life. When inclusion becomes part of the community fabric rather than a separate initiative, that is when it becomes truly powerful.

Joy and gratitude are the values most central to both my work and personal life. Professionally, I stand firmly in the belief that every person deserves a true friend — not a paid support person, not a caregiver, but a genuine friend. That is the foundation of everything I do at One Good Friend Inc. In my personal life, I am actively choosing joy in new and unexpected ways. I have embraced yoga, tai chi, painting, woodworking, and even teaching myself guitar — things I once dismissed as not being for me. I recently volunteered at a youth conference for individuals with disabilities, and during an icebreaker when asked what I want to be when I grow up, I answered: a friend. Because I want young people to know that you aren't defined by a job, but who you choose to be...being a good friend is not a job — it is who you are. That is what I stand for, in my organization and in my life.