Growing up, my family moved… a lot. Every year or two, a new bedroom, house, neighborhood, school, and friends. My siblings and I became adaptable, and over time considered it an adventure. We would map out where to ride our bikes, where our new friends lived, and locate prime fishing spots. We searched for baseball fields, parks, and trails. We biked around town for hours, picking up sticky soda cans and sour-smelling beer cans, and bringing them to a recycling kiosk. We exchanged our wares for currency, spending it on candy cigarettes, Clearly Canadian soda, and Skittles. I would find the local library and search for different titles, perusing the 3×5 index cards sorted alphabetically and by genre. We knew where the “perfect” curbs were to ramp with our bikes and which stoplights took less than 14 seconds to switch back to GREEN. 

Instead of a town or house, my siblings have always been my sense of home. We had each other to navigate our new lives, several times over. We were versatile and resilient, coming into our adult independence with a sense of familiarity. Flying the coop was exciting for us as we embarked on our own, forging a path. Different colleges, careers, and cities called on our interests. We used our learned skills to adapt to our new environments in our job fields, communities, relationships, and as parents.

I’ve once again put my transitional skills to the test entering the ever-evolving advertising world while bringing a background in Social Services and Agriculture with me. It’s been intriguing and eye-opening to see what goes on behind the scenes in this industry. I’ve enjoyed using my environmental resilience to grow in my career here at Caliber!