Be The Mosquito!

“If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito.” — Betty Reese

In the current environment, the days slowly tick by. Fear often feels unavoidable. Many of us feel helpless and long for the recent past when life felt normal. I know I often do! Sometimes my thoughts spiral toward negativity. Then I find a story of kindness or hope. It reminds me that we are resilient and will get through this. We may even become a stronger society because of it.

A few such stories have even come from our clients! One client signed up through TapRoot. He is helping two small businesses navigate the complex CARES financing application process. I love how he tapped into his finance skill set and found a creative way to give back, all from the comfort of his couch! Helping others is the right thing to do. It will also give him a strong talking point for his applications, which currently lack extracurricular involvement.

One client recently began volunteering with Meals On Wheels. He delivers food to homebound people in his local area. Demand for this service has grown rapidly. Consequently, we have a newfound appreciation for the power of a warm smile. This engagement shows the leadership and empathy that admissions committees value. This act of service reflects his passion for health and wellness. It also gave him a valuable update for Kellogg, where he is waitlisted.

A third client works in consumer finance. She led a team that addressed customer payment obligations. By using her communication and team-building skills, she united a virtual group to provide relief during this crisis. She shared the story of the team’s success (they rolled out a deferral program in less than a month!) in an update to HBS, where she is waitlisted, and further connected how she plans to leverage the learnings from this experience in a potentially-virtual learning environment next year.

So while it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the scale of the challenges we currently face, remember that we all have skills that can be put to use. We may even find that one of the greatest beneficiaries of our good work is ourselves, whether that be emotionally or in the realization of our goals. Be that mosquito and leave your mark – it may be small in the grand scheme of things, but (at least) one person will take note and that is enough. Stay safe everyone.