Work at 38.

11 July 2024

I turned 38 this week. Growing up, my dad often repeated the advice to find what I love to do in the world and then find a job that would pay me for it. Perhaps a little trite, but that advice has been humming in the background of my mind as I’ve developed my career. Thankfully, I have found what I love to do in the world, at least for now: learn with and from others, explore new cultures, think deeply, read broadly, and serve the world in an attempt to improve the quality of life of all people and the sustainability of our planet.

After 38 years, I can only be grateful for how things are playing out.

Picking up where my last post left off, Timor-Leste was a powerful experience for me. I worked with 100 young leaders across various industries on how to incorporate the principles and practices of human development in their organizations. I got to hear their stories and learn about what difference they want to make in their corner of this wild world. The program was called Futuru Lider Ba ASEAN [Future Leaders of ASEAN], and I really hope to have the chance to go back and participate again next year.

After Timor-Leste, I went to Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand to visit organizations doing work on coastal preservation and coastal community resilience. I squeezed in an appearance at the Human Development Summit, which was part of the 2024 HR Tech Festival Asia in the Marina Bay Sands convention center in Singapore. There, I gave a keynote and sat on a panel about the impact of AI on human development and adult learning at work. Of course, since I was on a tight budget, I stayed in a cube-like hostel with shared bathrooms and walked to the conference. I’m indebted to Dr. Bob Aubrey who helped arrange both the Timor-Leste event and the Human Development Summit. He’s been an incredible mentor and connector these last few years.

In Bangkok, I had the opportunity to give a lecture in the Faculty of Education at Chulalongkorn University on writing and publishing non-empirical research. I’ve loved working with the faculty and students at Chula as a Special Lecturer, and hope to continue to serve this great academic community however I can. Since my time overlapped with the tail end of Songkran, I got to participate in a special ceremony with the Department of Educational System Management Leadership. My friends and colleagues there, in particular Dr. Dhirapat and Dr. Sukanya, have continued to be a wonderful part of my work life.

I also had the chance to meet with the Director-General of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources in the Thai government to learn about their efforts in coastal preservation and coastal community resilience. It was a fruitful meeting and we’re discussing possibilities for future collaboration during my (hopefully) upcoming sabbatical. I love Thai people so much. They are kind, funny, friendly, and interested in working towards the betterment of their communities.

Travel weary but with a full heart, I returned home to a busy end of the semester at LSU. I was truly surprised and overjoyed to find out I was awarded the LSU Alumni Association Rising Faculty Research Award. Since I missed the ceremony during my trip, I got the chance to sit down with the provost and receive my award in person. Adding that to the AHRD Early Career Scholar Award and Mentorship Award from the College of Human Sciences and Education, it’s been quite an award-ful year, which I treasure because I know those years don’t always come around. To top it off, I found out I am being promoted to Associate Professor with tenure, which marks the end of an intense six year journey as a tenure-track faculty member.

After recharging my battery, I continued my research in Fiji, where I spent a week with the island community of Vorovoro, an hour boat ride from the city of Labasa. I’m exploring doing additional research there on coastal community resilience and potentially bringing LSU students as well to participate. Honestly, I need a full post just on Fiji, but suffice it to say, my week on the island with no electricity or running water among some of the most loving human beings on the planet was awe-inspiring. I learned about sustainability, Fijian culture, kava root, climbing a coconut tree, harvesting shark meat, and harmonizing our voices and lives with the heartbeat of the waves. Much more to write on this at a later date. I returned home in a different headspace, and it’s stuck with me more than my other trips. I’ll be back.

My last trip in this admittedly overly busy travel schedule was to Lisbon, Portugal, for the University Forum for Human Resource Development conference. Khai came with me while my mom stayed back with the kids. I loved traveling with Khai like we used to when we were dating. We held hands, laughed, ate whatever we wanted, didn’t rush around, and just enjoyed each other’s company. When I was at the conference, Khai rested in a deep way that I imagine only mothers/caretakers away from their kids fully understand.

Back at home, I’ve served as the Leadership Manager for the Mandela Washington Fellowship here at LSU. Through a federal grant, we were able to bring 25 young leaders from 20 different African countries to LSU to study leadership development and civic engagement. Khai and I hosted the fellows at our house for the 4th of July, which was magical. Aden and Alice had a blast, too.

For my 38th birthday, I had a session with the fellows and then, in the evening, played in a Baton Rouge Ultimate Summer League game. Khai and the kids came along to cheer me on. Nothing like running your heart out with 20-somethings to feel alive. Ultimate Frisbee has always been one of my favorite activities, so it was special to play a league game on my birthday. The final point was hard-fought, with multiple turnovers as we squeezed the last of our energy out of our legs and lungs. We won the game. But we all won in life because we played an incredible sport as the sun set over the levee.

I’m firing on all cylinders. To be 38 is invigorating. Don’t worry, I’m taking time to rest, too. Our weekends and weeknights have been mostly chilling at home in our updated backyard (thanks, Khai!). Grateful for all the people in my life, especially for the ones in distant lands who have welcomed me to their homes and countries. Grateful for LSU and my Baton Rouge community. Grateful for my family. Onward.