Mentoring
I received a letter from a student and friend I had mentored in the 80′s. I am honored that Glenn took the time to write me when he learned of my campaign for St. Mary’s County Commissioner. His letter is below, teaching and mentoring comes full circle in life, whether you know it or not. – Todd
Dear Todd,
Let me begin by saying that this thank you letter is long overdue. I am sorry that we lost contact back in the mid 1980’s, but thru Jane Gehring (Munoz), I have found you once again. I’m not sure if you have any idea of the impact that you have made on my life.
I first met you as a rambunctious freshman at St. Mary’s in the fall of 1981. I got to know you as a friend over the next two years. Although I never had you as a professor in the classroom, that doesn’t mean that you weren’t a teacher to me.
While I got good grades at St. Mary’s, I lacked focus and direction with regards to any future career. I realized early on that while St. Mary’s is a good school, it was not an environment where I would grow and thrive. Going into the spring of 1983 (my sophomore year), I knew that I would not return to St. Mary’s.
I asked you for advice. While I considered you as a friend or a buddy, you spoke to me about my future with firmness and directness. It was exactly what I needed to hear, even if it was hard to hear from a friend.
You started with a simple question; “Where do you want to live after college?” I was worried about where I was going to college next year and hadn’t even thought about after college. When I responded that I would probably live in the Philadelphia area, you told me to be flexible, and that I should consider all options in the Mid-Atlantic area. It would still be close to where I grew up, but by casting a broader net, it would allow me greater opportunities.
You advised me to look at schools that provided a diverse offering of academic programs. This would give me the opportunity to be exposed to different majors, as I had not yet formulated what career I wanted to pursue. And you told me to look at schools in the Mid-Atlantic area, colleges that were “name recognizable” schools to employers within the region. You suggested that I look at Penn State, Delaware, Maryland, Syracuse and West Virginia. You also told me that while an under-graduate degree was vital, I should also give strong consideration to a graduate degree as well.
In the fall of 1983, I did not go back to St. Mary’s and I took the semester off of college. I was terrified that by taking a semester off, I might never go back to college. You reassured me that fall that making a change was the right course of action for me. And you followed up with me to make sure I had submitted applications to the schools we discussed. In December of 1983, I was accepted at WVU to enroll for the spring 1984 semester.
WVU was a much bigger school than St. Mary’s. It was also the perfect place for me. Academically, I did well. I pursued a degree in business management, earning a BS in 1986. I also got involved with club lacrosse, student government as well as a fraternity. Who knew that a Marshall grad would ever recommend WVU!
After graduation, I settled in the Philadelphia area taking a job selling office products. Knowing that this was an entry level job, I kept in the back of my mind the idea of pursing an MBA. I explored that actively in 1989, but honestly was not really ready to make that move.
In 1990, I landed my dream job, working for Nike. Unfortunately, after 4 years, I learned about downsizing. And I also remembered your words about an advanced degree. In 1995 I joined Sara Lee Corporation. Wary of big corporation culture and the potential of future downsizing, I began to pursue an MBA in 1998.
Traveling extensively for work and raising two young children with my wife, I went to evening classes at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. In 2003, I earned my MBA in International Marketing. I achieved a 3.93 GPA and I was inducted into two honors societies.
In 2004, I started my own company as a manufacturer’s representative for commercial recreation equipment. I am certainly a small company, but my clients include the Cities of Philadelphia, Allentown, Baltimore and Washington DC, as well as private clients including Daimler Chrysler. Without my undergraduate degree or my MBA, I would have never been in a position to go out on my own. And it is because of your advice to me in 1983, that I was able to change course and build a foundation in college for my future success.
I hope that we can re-connect so I can catch up with you and your family and more formally thank you for your advice. You didn’t have to take me under your wing and you didn’t have to spend time advising me about my career. But you did, and because of your concern I am in a much better position today. So once again, thank you for your advice and for being a good friend.
Sincerely,
Glenn Barrie
Glenn Barrie
Camellian
Toll Free @ 877.234.6327
or on the web @ www.CAMELLIAN.com
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