Final Presentation CusterCounty Leaders

Tristan Powell Author

08/23/2019 Added

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Final Presentation Done by Andrew and Amber at Fellows Final Presentation

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[00:00:00.890]I'm Amber Ross.
[00:00:01.723]I am (mumbles).
[00:00:03.950]I am a senior ag business major
[00:00:06.290]with minors in entrepreneurship and leadership.
[00:00:09.059]Like (mumbles), I was able to do the serviceship experience
[00:00:13.660]two years in a row, so the summer after my freshman year,
[00:00:16.360]2017, I was in West Point,
[00:00:18.420]and in 2018 after my sophomore year,
[00:00:20.540]I was in Columbus, so I got to work on projects there,
[00:00:22.950]and then this year, Andrew and I came together
[00:00:25.770]and kind of created an internship position for me at CEDC,
[00:00:29.690]and I got the chance to help mentor
[00:00:32.730]four amazing young ladies,
[00:00:34.659]and I'm just really thankful for my experience this summer.
[00:00:38.020]That's kind of, first thing to say.
[00:00:41.280]So impact that I feel the girls and their projects
[00:00:45.600]had on the communities was really like
[00:00:48.170]building sense of place,
[00:00:49.600]and building the leisure and recreation
[00:00:52.099]in Custer County, specifically,
[00:00:54.170]and then Megan and Haley also worked in Calloway and Arnold,
[00:00:58.480]and so I think Calloway, they were, again,
[00:01:00.520]building that leisure and recreation,
[00:01:02.470]and that sense of place,
[00:01:03.480]and then in Arnold,
[00:01:05.630]they did a windshield assessment of the housing situation,
[00:01:09.450]and so they were able to kind of work on the sense of pride,
[00:01:12.850]sense of place in Arnold,
[00:01:14.190]and so they were really building a foundation
[00:01:17.228]for us to bring people back to Custer County.
[00:01:21.660]So that's kind of the impact I feel that they had
[00:01:24.470]on our communities, and then why does this work matter?
[00:01:29.370]So as a native from Custer County,
[00:01:31.940]coming back and getting to witness these girls
[00:01:34.720]work in my communities, it really just
[00:01:37.680]filled me with a sense of pride,
[00:01:39.060]and it reminded me why I love Custer County so much.
[00:01:42.679]They were really able to help me form words
[00:01:46.410]to articulate exactly what is so special about the area,
[00:01:49.540]and kind of re-energized me to keep working
[00:01:55.360]for Custer County, and to remember why it's awesome.
[00:01:58.640]So I think all of their projects (mumbles).
[00:02:05.240]My leadership development, so in the past,
[00:02:08.430]I've always kind of been on that peer-to-peer level,
[00:02:12.328]leading people that are my age in similar situations,
[00:02:16.080]and helping them through their processes
[00:02:19.230]at the same time I was trying to grow,
[00:02:21.340]and this year, I was kind of leading from
[00:02:23.930]a middle manager position.
[00:02:25.870]I was kind of one step below Andrew,
[00:02:28.090]but kind of one step higher than the fellows,
[00:02:31.160]and so I was really able to help them lead,
[00:02:35.320]and help lead them, and help them grow as people.
[00:02:37.930]So in talks with Helen, and Andrew, and with the fellows,
[00:02:40.970]I was challenged to listen better, to ask better questions,
[00:02:45.930]but also to lead people to the answers
[00:02:48.830]that they're looking for, usually through another question.
[00:02:52.420]So I had a great time kind of using the people in the office
[00:02:57.100]as my guinea pigs, and asking them questions,
[00:02:59.890]and then having them return, and ask me questions,
[00:03:02.160]and it was just this back and forth,
[00:03:04.550]and so I really feel that I grew as a leader
[00:03:07.100]just by being there,
[00:03:08.650]just by being able to bounce ideas around in the office.
[00:03:14.290]And then personally, my growth,
[00:03:15.880]so I had my own RFI, if you will.
[00:03:19.770]It's in Ogallala Commons.
[00:03:21.050]It's out of Texas.
[00:03:21.950]So this was a picture that I took with some friends
[00:03:24.140]that I met down at my training in Texas,
[00:03:26.520]and I think my personal growth
[00:03:29.500]was just the confidence that I am able to lead people,
[00:03:33.930]and to make a difference in communities,
[00:03:36.840]and so as I'm gearing up to graduate college in May,
[00:03:40.520]I'm really starting to think about my first real-life job,
[00:03:44.210]and this summer has really given me a lot of experiences
[00:03:49.920]to draw from in the future,
[00:03:51.640]and so whether that be in economic development, or tourism,
[00:03:55.720]or whatever that's gonna look like
[00:03:56.910]in the next couple months,
[00:03:58.430]I really feel that I have the experiences that I need
[00:04:01.580]to go forward.
[00:04:03.260]So, your turn.
[00:04:10.530]I'm 6'3", and I'm not going to pretend to lean over,
[00:04:13.580]and that you can hear me.
[00:04:15.560]So like she mentioned, I'm Andrew Ambriz.
[00:04:18.220]I'm the director for Custer County
[00:04:19.520]Economic Development Corporation.
[00:04:21.210]I've been in my role for about a year,
[00:04:22.980]but I'm blessed to say that I've been involved in this
[00:04:26.807]RFI internship, serviceship, fellowship iteration
[00:04:30.740]since 2016.
[00:04:32.370]I'm a product, a proud product of this program,
[00:04:35.920]and so I feel really lucky to have seen the iterations
[00:04:39.410]and the growth that this program has offered
[00:04:41.450]from the student perspective,
[00:04:42.730]but also the mentor perspective,
[00:04:44.510]and so I definitely want to speak a little bit more
[00:04:46.590]to how that's changed, and how I think it's produced
[00:04:49.490]a lot different results now, as it has in the past.
[00:04:52.700]So to roll right in, I want to reflect on
[00:04:57.960]each of the projects that you heard them talk about,
[00:05:01.070]and they weren't just projects that necessarily
[00:05:04.850]came out of nowhere.
[00:05:06.360]It all had to do with something pertaining to
[00:05:08.570]Custer economic development,
[00:05:10.020]but you see the difference in how many projects
[00:05:12.050]were initiated, and how many projects were,
[00:05:14.540]you know the quote, twinkle in our eye,
[00:05:16.850]that we had thought about, we had considered,
[00:05:18.410]but no one had actually taken forward,
[00:05:20.400]and through the gift of these four young women
[00:05:23.860]coming into our community,
[00:05:25.240]we were able to pull so many of these forward,
[00:05:27.950]and Megan didn't talk about the metrics of the barn,
[00:05:30.460]but that event pulled nearly 300 people to the barn,
[00:05:35.459]to a center that typically only gets
[00:05:37.390]about 1,700 visitors every year.
[00:05:39.840]In addition to that, there was fundraising efforts
[00:05:42.340]that piggybacked on that, so we can put numbers
[00:05:44.920]to each of these things that they accomplished,
[00:05:46.699]and it's extremely exciting.
[00:05:49.907]For me, it's a little deflating to know
[00:05:53.410]that they're gone now, but it's a true testament
[00:05:58.050]to the capacity that these students have
[00:06:00.670]in creating meaningful change in communities,
[00:06:04.501]and all of it is based on alignment,
[00:06:07.440]so I have a number of theories that I base what I do off of,
[00:06:12.149]but it's a combination of autonomy, ownership, and purpose,
[00:06:17.930]and so, how do you create this sense of need?
[00:06:21.770]How do you transfer that to individuals?
[00:06:23.320]Well, everything we did was in alignment with our CEDC plan,
[00:06:28.670]and I stole this, shamefully, from Janet Ady,
[00:06:32.520]who runs an economic development consulting group,
[00:06:35.060]and this is the three circles of economic development,
[00:06:38.110]as it is today, and it's so incredibly relevant
[00:06:40.980]to our rural communities,
[00:06:42.120]and that's how we classified each of these projects.
[00:06:44.700]Most of them fell into the business development,
[00:06:47.288]placemaking, or talent development,
[00:06:49.550]really heavy on the placemaking and talent development.
[00:06:52.710]With our intern project, with the barn anniversary,
[00:06:55.760]and that's what was up on the wall,
[00:06:59.020]is how we affectionately call it.
[00:07:00.848]If, in their awesome intro video,
[00:07:04.310]there were a bunch of flip charts on the wall,
[00:07:06.130]and that's our illustration of what matters
[00:07:09.080]to Custer County, and what's going to propel us forward.
[00:07:12.127]And so, when we sat down at the beginning of the summer,
[00:07:15.230]and said, "What are we going to move forward
[00:07:17.877]"in this very finite amount of time that we have?"
[00:07:20.870]And they pulled all of those projects,
[00:07:22.900]all 11 that Megan, Haley, Alyssa, and Angela worked on,
[00:07:28.784]they all fall in line with
[00:07:30.710]something we wanted to accomplish as an organization,
[00:07:33.280]and they knew achieving and working towards those projects,
[00:07:36.747]they had the full support of a board of directors
[00:07:39.197]that said, "This is what matters to us,"
[00:07:42.290]and when they sat down and presented that to the board,
[00:07:44.310]they knew that it was justified, and it was appreciated.
[00:07:49.380]For my own growth, it's really hard to be reminded of
[00:07:53.530]something you already knew.
[00:07:56.400]I had a lot of really great experience
[00:07:58.530]when I was in college and younger,
[00:08:01.470]but it's always great to be reminded of the,
[00:08:04.320]I saw a Ted Talk that called it the onlyness of a person,
[00:08:08.130]and regaining that curiosity for who an individual is,
[00:08:12.257]and we get so wrapped up so often.
[00:08:14.607]"I have this to get done."
[00:08:15.457]"I have this to get done."
[00:08:16.649]"I have this to get done."
[00:08:18.568]Especially when you see the same people over and over again,
[00:08:20.860]working on the same sorts of projects,
[00:08:22.620]trying to push the envelope,
[00:08:24.250]it's easy to forget and overlook
[00:08:26.277]being in that person's onlyness,
[00:08:28.520]and rediscovering, and being curious about that individual,
[00:08:32.100]and what I've seen is, I've had, you know,
[00:08:35.780]five young women come in
[00:08:38.020]and really push the envelope on these issues,
[00:08:41.150]which has allotted me some time
[00:08:42.990]to work on some of these other projects that have slowed,
[00:08:45.900]and spend more time with these people,
[00:08:47.640]being curious about who they are, the goals that they have,
[00:08:50.660]and now, there's that establishment of trust,
[00:08:53.890]which breeds enrollment, and when you have enrollment,
[00:08:56.560]you add more people to your bus,
[00:08:58.890]and we've seen not only their projects proceed,
[00:09:02.180]but so many other projects that we see,
[00:09:05.380]Arnold Economic Development
[00:09:06.570]and Calloway Economic Development
[00:09:07.880]have moved forward
[00:09:09.130]as a result of just a little bit more effort
[00:09:11.700]that these young women have brought to us.
[00:09:14.890]Our capacity has increased,
[00:09:16.300]which is why I'm so scared to see them walk out the door,
[00:09:18.980]but they've done a great job of transitioning
[00:09:22.300]a lot of these projects as well, and now,
[00:09:25.256]the momentum we have in our community is noticeable,
[00:09:29.090]and people are asking,
[00:09:30.637]"When are we going to get our interns back for 2020,"
[00:09:34.128]because people see more projects.
[00:09:39.610]What I love most about this serviceship,
[00:09:42.676]about this fellowship, about this experience is
[00:09:46.190]from the community perspective,
[00:09:47.940]we don't get these sorts of touchpoints with students often,
[00:09:51.990]especially within the university system.
[00:09:54.320]They may come visit.
[00:09:55.630]They may hear about what's going on, but to my knowledge,
[00:09:59.300]there's no other way to get these high-achieving students
[00:10:02.565]into our communities, working on these sorts of projects,
[00:10:06.040]taking ownership, being autonomous, gaining competence,
[00:10:10.140]and being confident in stepping into this whole new realm
[00:10:13.510]that they don't get to experience, you know
[00:10:16.080]at an institutional level here at the university,
[00:10:18.260]or other sorts of education.
[00:10:20.810]Here, they're thrust into,
[00:10:24.337]"You have to learn how to get this done."
[00:10:27.447]"We'll give you every tool that I can,"
[00:10:30.437]"but you have to go find the answer,"
[00:10:32.830]and that's what's created really meaningful experiences,
[00:10:35.610]not only in our community, but I heard it a lot
[00:10:37.350]in all the other communities as well.
[00:10:39.460]They were given the responsibility and the autonomy
[00:10:42.760]to go out and pursue these things
[00:10:45.430]and know that there is a (mumbles) result
[00:10:48.470]that more than just them get to enjoy.
[00:10:50.920]We're talking about something that
[00:10:52.090]has that multiplier effect, that communities get to enjoy,
[00:10:55.250]people get to enjoy these things that they worked on,
[00:10:59.364]and that's what makes it so meaningful,
[00:11:01.690]and I've never ever had a student work for me
[00:11:05.640]that wasn't perfectly described by this sentence,
[00:11:09.600]and that's what gives us, as mentors,
[00:11:12.140]this free rein to say, "Go out and do this thing"
[00:11:15.497]"because you've been given this great gift of education"
[00:11:17.687]"through the university system."
[00:11:19.257]"You've experienced the coaching in the academy"
[00:11:23.027]"and you've had other experiences that shape who you are"
[00:11:25.857]"and the way you see the world."
[00:11:27.267]"We want to tap into that, channel it,"
[00:11:29.537]"in a way that you create outcomes that"
[00:11:31.717]"we would've never dreamed of."
[00:11:33.850]People were talking about this barn event,
[00:11:35.680]and making comparisons to the eclipse event.
[00:11:38.810]Broken Bow was right in the line
[00:11:40.530]for that eclipse event back in 2017,
[00:11:43.120]and people were making mentions
[00:11:44.490]just because of the sheer traffic flow.
[00:11:46.850]We would've never said, "The barn's 10th anniversary"
[00:11:49.657]"can be as big as the eclipse,"
[00:11:51.930]but those two students walked in and said, "Why not?"
[00:11:55.480]They had no, you know, preconceived notions
[00:11:58.390]about what it could become, only what it could be,
[00:12:01.180]and that's what we're so happy to get year in and year out,
[00:12:05.570]as long as I've been a part of this, this experience.
[00:12:08.530]These students know how to get real work done,
[00:12:11.770]and they want to see their efforts pay off
[00:12:14.870]in a way that most internships don't get.
[00:12:20.750]And lastly, what can this internship become?
[00:12:23.620]And it's something, like I said,
[00:12:25.060]I've been involved with this internship so many times over,
[00:12:28.237]and I see such benefit, and it changes each year,
[00:12:32.080]from economic development, to tourism,
[00:12:34.218]to dipping into education,
[00:12:36.560]and Amber talked about Ogallala Commons,
[00:12:38.800]and again, another shameless steal
[00:12:40.590]from another organization,
[00:12:42.240]but they've developed these commonwealth,
[00:12:45.070]these key assets of a community,
[00:12:47.340]and what I see each year
[00:12:49.360]is that the projects these students work on
[00:12:51.910]fall into one of these 12 buckets,
[00:12:54.200]and this is the wholesome look at a rural community,
[00:12:57.190]or any community across the country,
[00:12:59.840]and what I see is that as we have students
[00:13:03.350]come into our communities,
[00:13:04.820]they get to work on one of these,
[00:13:07.260]if not more of these issues,
[00:13:09.430]and as we have this concerted focus by young people
[00:13:12.250]who understand the dynamics, who are highly-trained
[00:13:14.990]to be ingrained in a community,
[00:13:16.540]work on each of these things,
[00:13:18.320]our rural communities don't have to worry about survival.
[00:13:21.634]We have to worry about, "How are we going to fit"
[00:13:24.167]"all these people that want to live in our communities?"
[00:13:27.114]You know, we touched on sense of place, history, leisure,
[00:13:30.890]recreation, and education just in this summer,
[00:13:33.730]and I see a definite need for other communities
[00:13:36.473]to find these talented students,
[00:13:39.750]the ones that have rural roots,
[00:13:42.130]and allocating those resources
[00:13:44.360]to building our rural communities
[00:13:46.434]that so desperately need that invigoration, those new ideas.
[00:13:51.250]It's cliche to say,
[00:13:52.270]but young people do bring new ideas and energy,
[00:13:55.530]and I think that goes a really long way
[00:13:57.970]for a lot of our communities that participate
[00:14:00.410]in this program, and I've talked about momentum.
[00:14:04.940]So many things in a rural community are volunteer-led.
[00:14:08.850]Dr. Lindsay Hastings has a statistic
[00:14:10.620]that 56% of management positions
[00:14:13.140]are held by people 45 and over.
[00:14:15.920]How do we prepare these young people
[00:14:17.410]for stepping into those roles?
[00:14:19.340]It's by giving them experience.
[00:14:21.280]How do we assist these volunteers in moving big efforts,
[00:14:24.850]like a 10th anniversary celebration?
[00:14:27.020]Or making a key asset more visible in our community,
[00:14:33.660]so that more people can enjoy it,
[00:14:35.320]more people come to our communities?
[00:14:37.860]That's where having these students come in,
[00:14:40.430]and for a very short time, we maximize the amount of effort,
[00:14:44.952]and we give those committees, those volunteers,
[00:14:48.813]the resources they need to be competent and confident
[00:14:52.890]in moving forward on that issue,
[00:14:54.500]whether that's surveys and research.
[00:14:56.170]We talked about some of the surveys, focus groups
[00:14:58.470]that went on in all the other communities.
[00:15:00.510]That's such a huge asset when we try and tell our volunteers
[00:15:05.480]that are trying to advance a movement
[00:15:07.640]or some sort of change in our community,
[00:15:09.387]"We have something to back it up."
[00:15:11.517]"We just need you to go talk and market"
[00:15:14.277]"that this is a thing that we need in our community,"
[00:15:17.010]and that's what makes that change happen,
[00:15:19.290]and so I can't say enough about what this fellowship does,
[00:15:23.009]not only in our community, but every community,
[00:15:25.510]in focusing that effort.
[00:15:27.240]That we get these talented students for 10 weeks,
[00:15:29.930]and I would argue 10 weeks isn't enough,
[00:15:33.770]but it's such a gift to bring students in,
[00:15:36.840]and have this sort of practical experience
[00:15:38.980]in the hopes that, of course, they begin to grow,
[00:15:42.330]and they identify, and they have a soft spot in their heart,
[00:15:45.470]where one of my interns from last year
[00:15:47.680]actually sent me a picture
[00:15:48.730]when she was driving through Broken Bow
[00:15:50.380]of a taco truck she enjoyed most.
[00:15:52.600]That's the kind of identity that we want to generate
[00:15:55.290]with these young people in our community,
[00:15:57.080]and I think, so far, we've been doing a good job.
[00:15:59.190]So thank you, and questions?
[00:16:01.386](applause)`

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Final Presentation CusterCounty Leaders

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