Saturday, April 16, 2011

In the "Spotlight" with Rudee

This is Rudee from Washington State and she's a goal setting, high achiever, determined, strong young woman! At age 23, Rudee is not afraid to venture out and explore new things. Rudee is my best cousin's daughter. You're amazing Rudee!!!

In my teenage years, I struggled with wondering who I was going to become. A question that many young adults struggle with today, and even some adults. After graduation from high school in 2005, I attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Go Rebels!). During College I made some fantastic lifelong friendships, lost amazing friends, and experienced my first heartbreak. All these experiences definitely helped mold me into the exceptional and strong woman that I am today. Something amazing happened to me on December 13, 2009. Through all my hard work and dedication, I received my college degree in Business Management with a Concentration in Human Resources. I had completed college in three and a half years. It was a huge accomplishment for my family and me. It was a wonderful time in my life, but at the same time it was very stressful. I had so many questions, but no one had the answers. I couldn't remember having a college course on what happens next in my life. Luckily, the summer before graduation, I took it upon myself to do a Human Resources Internship. After the internship ended, the company wanted me on board as a permanent employee, where I worked as a Human Resources Coordinator while attending school. To fast forward back to after graduation, my company offered me a great opportunity. I was offered a Human Resources Manager position in Washington State.
The decision to move to Washington was extremely difficult. Not only was I moving to an unknown place, but I was also moving away from all my family and friends. I received so much criticism from people who I believed were good friends. But I ultimately made the choice that was right for me. With no regrets, I packed my bags and moved. I will admit that the road was bumpy and difficult. At the age of 21, I had to prove myself to a workforce of employees double my age. I was working so hard that I forgot to take the time to really enjoy Washington and all of its marvels. I remember the very first time that I was invited to go hiking. "Hiking! You have got to be freakin' kidding me!" Those were the first thoughts that went through my head. I'm from Los Angeles and I had never even been camping. The whole week leading up to the "Big Hike" I was asking every question I could think of. Will there be bears? Will there be snakes? And with every response I got the same answer. "It's the wilderness, you never know what you are going to get." My very first hike was on the Northrup Canyon trail, and it was three miles round trip. Everything about the hike was beautiful! I felt like I was experiencing the world and its wonders for the first time.
From there my new journey began. Almost every weekend I was discovering new places to venture, and meeting great new people along the way. Right before the summer of 2010 ended I took on another challenge. I came face to face with Mount Rainier. I have to admit that after all the trails that I had hiked, the mountain was intimidating me. My first attempt, I only climbed just around 7500 feet. The fear of the unknown was starting to kick in. All kind of questions started to hold me back from achieving something great. So with an unsure and cautious mind, I turned back. For weeks after my first Mount Rainer attempt I beat myself up for turning back. I moved all the way to Washington by myself, I know I can tackle this mountain. A few weeks later, I made my second trip to Mount Rainer. This time I was ready. I made it to my original goal 9500 feet. I remember sitting up on Mount Rainier looking at everything that life has to offer, and being thankful for everything I have in my life.
This summer, not only am I going to hike new trails, but I am going to tackle Mount Rainier again and hit 10,188 feet!
-Rudee-

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