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A Celebration Of "Firsts"

Estimated reading time ~ 2 min
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As we bookmark the end of Barack Obama’s second term as President – and as America’s first Black President – I find myself coming back to the same thought: What an honor it has been to witness this historic “first” for our country and our community.

There has always been something powerful about seeing someone who looks like me at the top of his or her field. Growing up, there were a handful of trailblazers I idolized. Their legacies empowered our community and challenged us to test the limits of what society deemed possible. I knew I lived in a better world because of them.

But witnessing President Obama’s election and his time in office resonated with me in a new way. My sophomore year of college, when he was first elected, I remember sitting around the TV with my roommates listening to him speak for the first time as President of the United States. I found him heroic, yet also profoundly relatable. He took the national stage and, amidst all of the challenges that come with publicly fighting for your beliefs, he led the nation.

Politics aside, President Obama broke barriers, created opportunity, and instigated unprecedented conversations. He and his family set an inspiring example of inclusion, opening the doors of the White House to many who had historically been left out. When you have a community of people feeling like they can do more, it propels us to change reality.

In the spirit of reflecting on this moment and drawing inspiration from other trailblazers in our community, we are excited to introduce Jopwell’s very first content “package” – a compilation of stories anchored around a central theme (in this case, “A Celebration Of Firsts”). We plan to publish more packages in the coming months, with the aim of taking an in-depth look at a variety of topics. I hope you’ll find inspiration in this “inaugural” spread and the range of trailblazers featured – from Kimbrely Dandridge, the first Black female student-body-president of the University of Mississippi, to Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Dr. Norman Francis, to first-generation college students Jenna Adrian and Aaliyah Griffin.

These stories remind me that everyone has the power to break new ground. My advice for myself and for others who are “going first” is this: Stop thinking about the fear of the unknown and focus on what you do know. There are a lot of scary perceptions. Some are real. Others, it turns out, are not. But when you face them and go for it – instead of anticipating and worrying about what hasn’t happened – opportunity can become reality.

This post is part of The Well’s “Celebration Of Firsts” series capturing perspectives and advice from barrier-breaking professionals in the Jopwell community. Join the conversation by sharing your tips and thoughts about going first on social, using the hashtag #CelebratingFirsts.

This package was reported by Sarah J. Robbins

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