mhm,
mm hmm. Yeah. Well, when I arrived at Barrett in the fall of 2003, it was
hard to be there and not be acquainted with Courtney. She had come to
Arizona state thinking of being a broadcast journalism major. And during
her freshman year, she had taken a trip to Mexico and seen some poverty
stricken areas that made her feel she had to work to remedy poverty and
the medical and educational implications of it all over the world,
Courtney had this interesting idea of taking an experience she had had as
a young student to take that idea to high school students in as many
schools as she could provide All over the country. And then she went on
from there. After she graduated in 2005, she developed a new global
citizens, 2, 14 states, 30 countries. Over 40,000 high school students all
over the world and raised a million dollars in endowment for. That led me
to running that organization for a number of years and then transitioning
, recognizing that there were other entrepreneurs that had dreams of
making the world a better place. And that led me to launch seed spot, a
nonprofit incubator, supporting the dreams of really passionate social
entrepreneurs that are committed to solving societal problems, Kourtney's
energy, her vitality, her sense of uh, the future and uh, of the uh,
opportunities that she and people like her and her generation have. It
just exemplifies everything I believe that we stand for at a shoe and that
she exemplifies perfectly. Doctor Laddie core was a mentor that really
guided me coming out of a shoe, I was a senior with a dream of starting a
nonprofit organization and it was Laddie and his network and the folks
that he was able to connect me to that were really instrumental in helping
me pursue my dream of launching a nonprofit organization. People are her
cause it's the individual. It's a funny thing, but it's a subtle shift
that makes her different than anyone else that you can meet. It makes her
aligned with you instead of aligned with her own agenda. I'm a firm
believer that everyone has a seed of an idea and a dream. And what I
questioned in starting seed spot was really how and where do you go to
launch those dreams into the world? And so I wake up every morning
thinking about what dreams might be lost if a place like seed spot didn't
exist and what dreams can we help bring into the world. Courtney
understands the future will be in those who innovate who look beyond the
immediate uh, terrain and prepare themselves to function effectively in it.
Courtney's work is always all about helping people. In fact, the way I
think of Courtney is that she's a person who helps people who want to help
people the mentorship that I received at issue the leadership here in the
work, Michael Crowe has been phenomenal. And I think from a game changing
standpoint issue has really put itself on the map and I'm really proud to
be an alum of this university and the work that it's doing in the world.
And when I think that I had the opportunity for her to support me for a
little bit and what she's done for me in my life and where I am because of
just knowing her, it's very emotional for me. I'm incredibly grateful that
, you know, that she stood behind me and she's still there, rooting me on.
That's that's just that's Courtney.