Lauren LaForge - Alumni Letter
April 30, 2012
Dear Ron,
Looking back, I cannot believe that we met just ten years ago. As a freshman in college, I never imagined quite how much potential I had. I was studying to be an elementary school teacher and hoped to teach abroad. A very typical, attainable goal. However, after my four years with Southwestern, I had pushed myself to accomplish goals I had never dreamed of and have continued to do so ever since. As a sales person and manager in Southwestern, I got the taste of giving my all to a wild goal, never giving up despite emotions, fears, or set backs, and feeling the unsurpassable sense of accomplishment and joy when the unimaginable is reached. I had never experienced this type of struggle nor success in my life until Southwestern and now am so grateful that I was exposed to it. After college and my time with Southwestern, I graduated debt free and with money in the bank to invest and take an exciting five month trip to South America. Upon return to the US, I began teaching English as a Second Language and directed an ESL summer camp for foreign high school students. Perhaps I would have stayed with this secure position for many years, but instead, thanks to my entrepreneurial lessons from Southwestern, I stepped away from the ESL school and at 23 years old began an ESL school of my own. We have now been operating for four years and have provided high quality study abroad experiences to over 500 high school students from Italy, Spain, France, and Austria. We offer programs in Santa Barbara, Santa Monica, San Diego & New York City. Additionally, we have recently started a sister company that offers shuttles and tours for travelers in California. We have had a strong start and are excited to see this part of our company grow as well.As a 27 year old, I never thought I could have the life I lead now. I work from home, set my own schedule, travel for both work & pleasure and am so proud of what I do. Especially in a tough economy, I am not reliant upon the statistics of unemployment, because instead of stressing about getting a job, I am creating jobs for myself and others. I have been able to combine all of my passions into a career that is fulfilling, flexible and perfect for me. Would I have done all this without the influence and experiential learning provided by Southwestern? I highly doubt it. I learned how to speak with people, how to have confidence in myself and my ideas, and most importantly, how to keep going against all odds. I experienced first hand how problems are inevitable in life & business, but its how you handle them that counts. In Southwestern, they teach you to “eat problems for breakfast”; expect problems and be resilient to keep going in spite of them.
Now as I look back at my four years of college, I am most grateful for the day I was introduced to Southwestern. The program has changed the course of my life and taught me how to be a stronger person. I feel like I am living up to a potential that I had never dreamed of before Southwestern. Thank you Ron for your role as a mentor, always pushing me and helping me grow into the person I am today.
Warmly,
Lauren LaForge
Director of Sales & Operations
Yep! Camps & The Hostel Hopper
PHONE = 1-855-GO-HOPPR
EMAIL = info@thehostelhopper.org
WEB = www.thehostelhopper.org
Southwestern Advantage wins Awards for Excellence in Communications
Southwestern Advantage was recognized by the Public Relations Society of America – Nashville Chapter at the 26th Annual Parthenon Awards in Nashville in two areas. The Parthenon Awards recognize Middle Tennessee’s public relations practitioners and the quality and results of their work throughout the previous year.
The first award was for the Share the Advantage program in the Public Service category. Taking home the top prize was no easy task, as this particular category contained the best of programs and campaigns aimed to address issues related to serving particular social needs in the community.
The Share the Advantage program concept was conceived by Henry Bedford after watching the documentary “Waiting for Superman” about the state of the education system in the U.S. Henry was moved to take action to make a difference.
Since our products are educational, he tasked the Southwestern Advantage marketing and communications team with putting together a program to reach the youth who do not have direct access to our learning products. The majority of the children he wanted us to reach either can not afford our products because of a low income level or we do not sell in their neighborhoods for safety reasons. These are the children who need our products the most. Through his vision, a give-away program was put together for the subscription website to organizations who can work with at-risk youth. In other words, for every one purchased, we would donate one.
This program was quickly expanded to include all other service projects so as to include other product donations and volunteer hours, but still focus on youth-centric services. Projects have ranged from an over $1 million donation and appearance on the TODAY Show to nearly 600 college students participating in a massive “Share the Advantage” three day project in some of the poorest neighborhoods in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
The second award was the Hercules Award in which Trey Campbell was recognized as the 2012 winner. The award honors “a career of accomplishment in the PR field.” It is based on professional work results, demonstrated ethical practices, proven leadership skills, contribution to the PRSA chapter and community involvement. This is the PRSA-Nashville version of a “lifetime achievement” award.
The awards dinner was held at Marathon Music Works and hosted by Samantha Stephens, Entertainment Reporter and On-Air Personality for the CMT Radio Network. Since 2003, Southwestern Advantage has won 18 awards from PRSA-Nashville for excellence in communications.
