On August 8, 2012, I boarded a one-way flight from Reno, NV to Melbourne, FL to be TWLOHA’s Intern Program Director. My heart was sad to be leaving a community that had made me the person I was—but it was also brimming with the joy of expectation.
On August 17, TWLOHA’s new interns—and my first interns—started filing in to the intern house, which we affectionately call “The Burrow.” First Sharon, then Aaron, Carolyn, Rachel, and finally Anthony.
The four months that followed were full of many things: training, music festivals, fashion shows, ugly sweater parties, and hours at laptops. More importantly, there were shared meals, tears, trips to the mechanic, translation issues, Breaking Dawn premieres, rat tails, Kleenex, a wedding, frozen yogurt, laughter, Bikram yoga, break-ups, trips to the ER, family tragedies, trips to the zoo, joy, learning, coffee, music, homemade pizza, the cutest Chihuahua ever, books, and more than 1,200 messages from supporters… just to name a few. The road we’ve traveled together this term has had its bumps and challenges, but it’s also left us forever changed in a positive way.
Aaron, Anthony, Carolyn, Rachel, and Sharon: TWLOHA is better for having you. I am a better person for knowing you. We are all so proud of each one of you and will be forever grateful for your dedication to this organization. Thanks for welcoming us into your hearts and for exceeding those expectations I brought with me, making this the best first term I could’ve ever asked for. Y’all are so dear to me. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for each of you.
Love,
Lauren