Thank You, ONE.

It's a pretty intense thing when you realize that one person or one thing has changed your life. I have gone through a number of changes since I started college three years ago, and as I look back, I can see that ONE has had a lot to do with that. ONE got me involved on my campus and involved in the lives of others but more than that, it completely changed my outlook on life.

The last three years have been a slow progression of me learning about me, determining my beliefs and ideals, and the beginnings of me delving in to politics and all that comes with that. The last month, however, has been another pretty thorough examination of some of my beliefs as well as what I want to do with my life.

On July 25, I left Dulles International Airport equipped with all of the information I could need, an army of friends and colleagues, and scared to death. I had no idea what Kenya would be like, no idea what I would learn, and while I had met the ONE Staff were were joining in Kenya before, I barely remembered them and, to be honest, ONE Staff kind of scares the crap out of me. I would give anything to be as smart and talented as the people in that office.

Kenya was an extraordinary experience for me, and when I arrived home on August 2, my brain was so full I could barely pull together the pieces to tell the stories. I think my family still has no idea what I did in Kenya.

The five of us were back in DC this week for trip debriefing and basic project prep (as well as Campus Outreach Ambassador (COA) training), and I was really sad to leave on Friday morning. We learned a lot; got to talk a little more policy (always one of my favorite things), start to really think about our projects, and when 6 of the other COA's joined us for training, we were able to really explore the Campus Challenge and delve in to what we would love to see happen this year on college campuses across the country.

We held a Brown Bag Lunch for the ONE Staff, where we got to talk all about Kenya, what we learned there and even the fun things we did. It was a complete honor for us when we realized that David Lane, CEO of ONE, had come in the back door of the conference room and sat down on the floor because he wanted to hear about our trip just as much as the rest of the ONE Staff did.

While everything we did and learned over the past two days was great, my fondest memory will most definitely be of being in the office and experiencing the staff. To tell you the truth, most of them still intimidate the heck out of me, and I'm sure some of them are thrilled that we're no longer running around the office distracting everyone, but it is my hope that everyone we encountered in the last two days know how much it means to me, to all of us, that we were able to sit down and talk to anyone that was willing and had the time to answer our endless array of questions.

ONE has really changed me. As my knowledge of ONE's issues continues to grow, I get more and more comfortable with myself and my ability as an advocate. It's a great feeling, and I hope that every intern, COA and Campus Leader gets to feel the way that I do about ONE.

So thank you, to all of you. To Chandler, for helping us communicate well. To Christopher, for being a wonderful source of laughter and a fantastic Field Organizer. To Lisa, for letting us pepper you with questions and for sending them flying back. To Maura, for putting up with us no matter how crazy we got, and for always managing to have a smile on your face. To Josh, for the DATA. To Emily, for being our internet guru and someone we can always talk to. To Tyler, for being one of the greatest leaders I have known, and for that amazing sense of humor. To Nora, for enjoying our company and showing it, and for being one of the smartest people I have ever met. And to Maisie, for being our fearless leader, our OCC genius, and for always wanting to hear from us just as much as we want to hear from you.

It has been an honor and a privilege to have been a part of ONE thus far. I can't wait to continue my journey with the organization and see where it takes me.