Into the Unknown - Part 2
Part of our Reflection Blog Series
We have had the pleasure of working closely with Theresa Felicetti from the fall of 2016 through today, her last day at JBHF. Theresa was our first employee, but her contributions have gone beyond the scope of that title. From her inspired ideas to her passion for our vision to her signature warm smile, she has made an indelible impact.
Moreover, she has embraced our value of life-long learning, which has led to growth in her role with JBHF, and now leads her into her next adventure. Today, we celebrate with Theresa. We look forward to watching her continue her journey ‘Into the Unknown’ and know that she will have a home at The Brown Homestead as the next chapter of the story unfolds.
“Now this is not the end.
It is not even the beginning of the end.
But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”
Into the Unknown - Part 2
Theresa Felicetti
In my early days with JBHF I wrote a Reflection Blog about my initial experience joining an organization in its early stages, while simultaneously, I was in the early stages of entering “The Real World” - The place our parents warn us we are not prepared for when we want to choose fun over responsibility, where you can’t survive solely off of grilled cheese, and where you need to iron your shirts.
I compared my start on this new journey to that of young Bilbo Baggins, excited to begin a new adventure, but anxious about the world of unknowns that waited beyond my comfort zone. I now write this piece at the end of my time working with JBHF and I can confirm my journey thus far has had plenty of unknowns (luckily no dragons, as promised). More importantly, however, were the many inspiring moments of professional and personal self discovery brought on by these unknowns.
I leave JBHF grateful to have been able to start my professional career with an organization willing to give their employees the freedom to make mistakes and meaningfully turn them into moments of growth, both for the individual and the organization. JBHF has worked to build a culture around employee learning and development which will benefit them greatly in the short and long term. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to significantly contribute to an organization whose missions and values align so closely with my own. I look forward to watching The Brown Homestead evolve into a community-based hub of innovation and creative education centered around culture and heritage, and proud to know I helped set in to motion.
Although this is the end of my current working relationship with JBHF I know for certain this is not the end of my involvement with the organization, I plan on being around as a volunteer. I mean, I do have insider knowledge on all the fun and exciting things in the works, and I for one do not want to miss out. I chose the quote at the beginning of this article thinking it nicely summed up how I feel - that it is only the end of the beginning of my involvement with JBHF. I soon realized that it was in reference to one of the battles from the Second World War, which makes my departure seem much more dramatic and daunting then it is. So for the sake of this post lets just all pretend we don’t know who said it or in what context and that I brilliantly made it up to nicely summarize my feelings as I move forward.
I want to thank everyone who I have gotten the chance to meet and work with throughout my time so-far with JBHF. You have made my time more valuable and meaningful then I can express. I look forward to taking all the knowledge that I have gained with me into my next adventure.
Thank you and I will see you around The Homestead !
Theresa
