An Open Window

Welcome, Kathleen Sheil, for a second time to Cincibility!  Read her earlier post here.

By Kathleen Sheil and Rachel Mecklenborg

On the night of Starfire U’s commencement, I was scared but at the same time I was proud of myself for accomplishing so many of my goals.  I did many things I never thought I could do.  I planned happy hours, a baby shower, and finished senior year with Starfire’s Annual Meeting, which was a night to remember.

Looking forward, I would like to keep my focus on event planning.  I hope to find a volunteer or job opportunity in this area.

One of my friends, Rachel, has been helping me connect to others also interested in event planning.  She’s a former event planner herself and loves meeting and talking with new people like I do.

Kathleen and Rachel, downtown Fountain Square

We’ve met with event coordinators from a few different non-profits like Make-A-Wish Foundation, Mayerson Foundation, and American Cancer Society.

After meeting wonderful people and learning about some great organizations, I’ve decided to focus on planning parties for Make-A-Wish Foundation. I chose Make-A-Wish because I can plan parties and help children, which I’m also very passionate about.

I heard about Make-A-Wish Foundation from a young woman named Becky who was on my Capstone committee, and helped Starfire’s Annual Meeting be the huge success that it was.  Becky now works at Make-A-Wish, and she thought volunteering would be perfect for me.  I’ve filled out my volunteer form, and I can’t wait to get started.  I’d like to help plan a Young Professionals Happy Hour for Make-A-Wish to spread the word about the organization and its mission.  Eventually, I also look forward to planning Wish Parties for the children involved with Make-A-Wish.

This connecting process after my time at Starfire U has been very unique in so many ways.  I am getting to know new people, and I’m beginning to feel like I’m living my event planning dream.  The biggest challenge I struggle with is making sacrifices in my social life to accomplish my goals.  I now realize my future comes first.

I can’t wait to reach for the stars in the event planning universe.