Last Thursday I completed my final day at The Village at Rockville (TVAR), packed my bags and traveled back to the Midwest. As hard as it was to leave Washington DC, I had always known there would be an end to this summer opportunity. In my short stint of twenty-one years of life, it seems as though there is always a beginning and an end. Within a year I will finish my undergraduate degree at Valparaiso University and take part in an entire new beginning. When I reflect on my summer experience, my time at TVAR was not defined by the beginning or the end but rather by continuous movement of time between those two points. My time at TVAR was like a train, whatever I tried to do, time was always moving towards the finish line. My summer was defined by many small successes and failures that compose my overarching experience. Those little successes and failures will soon become, last week’s successes and failures, last month’s successes and failures, and last year’s successes and failures. The movement of life will continue and that is why I believe with each success or failure should come a more ambitious goal. Whats next? Life will continue to move past this summer opportunity but the individuals, successes, and failures from this summer, have guided me to set new more ambitious goals for my life and vocation.

On a different note, I have realized the value of the CAPS program to Valparaiso University. During my first three years at Valparaiso University I often found myself questioning if the university truly backed its focus on calling and vocation. I found it hard to find organizations and groups of students who were motivated to seek the place where passion meets purpose. Yet, The Institute of Leadership and Service shattered those previous feelings as I found myself involved in meaningful work, reflect-ins, and the opportunity to have an alumni mentor. The CAPS program provided the bridge for me to explore my passions and calling in life. I attended networking events in DC, participated in community discussion at the McCain Institute and established lifelong connections. This summer has been the first time I have felt like I am truly fulfilling my college expectations. Throughout my internship I have constantly found myself asking “why not”? Whether it has been asking the CEO of NLCS a difficult question or walking into a networking event full of strangers, the moment I began to doubt my ability, I asked myself that simple question. The journey outside of my comfort zone has been accompanied by success and also some failures. Failures that have inspired me to take the next step, do the extra work, or maybe something as simple as making a stranger smile.

Before I traveled out to Washington DC, I was set on being a physician and that goal has not changed. Rather obtaining the status as a physician is no longer the finish line but a new beginning in the future to establish new, more ambitious goals, building on the experiences at TVAR and Valparaiso University.

The magnitude of an adventure can mask the small personal areas of growth and discovery. As I embark on my 10 week fellowship at National Lutheran Communities and Services (NLCS) I realize the scope of experiences, new acquaintances, and potential the fellowship offers. I am spending my summer working at the Village at Rockville (TVAR), a National Lutheran Community located thirty minutes out of DC in Rockville Maryland. TVAR is a continuing care retirement community offering assisted and independent living, memory care, and short term rehabilitation.

My time is split between several long term projects. One of my main objectives focuses on the
development of a clinic expansion project at TVAR. Additionally, I work with the medical staff, including the Doctors and Nurses, to develop improved means of communication and documentation in the medical record keeping system. During my first two weeks, I have been introduced to many of the colleagues I will be working with at TVAR and in the corporate office. The staff is truly committed to enriching the lives of the residents and inspiring those around. The culture at NLCS fosters transparency and inspires me to think outside of what has been traditionally accepted.

I live in a cottage at TVAR, traditionally purposed for independent living residents. While my neighbors are from a different generation, the wisdom and hospitality they offer is unmatched. For example, the couple living next door has been married for over seventy years and refer to me as their “son”.

Living independently in a new part of the country, surrounded by an unfamiliar field of medicine, and given the opportunity to contribute to meaningful and important corporate projects, amplifies the scale of this fellowship. It is easy to become enveloped in the enormity of all the possibilities this fellowship has in store, dreaming about how my time at TVAR will impact the future. Yet with this mindset, the small personal areas of growth and discovery can often be missed.

To illustrate this point, my fellowship description did not include a project area that I strongly wanted to pursue. I redeveloped several of the objectives and presented my focus to the executive director who openly encourage the direction I desired to follow. Finding my voice in a new environment and position was a small area of personal growth in the larger journey.

The interactions I have with neighbors or the weekend trips into DC can easily melt into the grand scheme of summer. I am personally driven by moving on to the next plan or objective, and I miss those moments where I experience a small personal area of discovery. Taking the extra time to appreciate the moment and recognizing those personal discoveries is a primary focus of my summer. I hope to recognize the small areas that often go unseen, where I can lead and serve at TVAR and in my community.

On a different note, I am elated to serve at TVAR and absorb all that Washington DC has to offer. From the happy hours with new friends to Jazz in the Park, I look forward to relationships I build and the personal areas of growth that contribute to my ability to lead and serve in the future. Within two weeks, I am affirmed that my experience at TVAR will advance my quality of care as a future doctor and unearth new areas of personal discovery along the journey.