Kristin Tupa | Reminding Students of their Unique Gifts and Talents

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My Journey to #AchieveMore

There are a few frames captured in my mind's memory that spark pure joy. Those who know me would think I'm describing a playoff game winning touchdown by the Minnesota Vikings with seconds on the clock (that would be the iconic Minneapolis Miracle catch by Stephon Diggs!). And, while that is true, it is also the seconds in a semester or a season that drive me to commit to my work as an adjunct program instructor and a high school speech coach. It was the few seconds I lingered while walking through a school hallway at a section speech tournament and caught a glimpse of one of my tenth grade students with the brightest, biggest smile you could imagine. She had just advanced to section finals, something unexpected to her because she was competing against older students. This recognition infused her with a new confidence in her professional abilities and reminded her of her limitless potential. Whenever I'm frustrated because a student isn't working to his or her potential, I rewind my memory to frames like this. In the classroom at St. Catherine University in the Master of Organizational Leadership Program, sometimes it's a longer mental video clip. It is the Saturday morning class where the interplay of graduate students from the business, government and non-profit sectors sparks such rich dialogue that I think, "Wow, this class just teaches itself." Or it was watching a smile unfold on the face of a Leadership Action Research Project advisee when I told her I thought her paper was done. Educators of all types understand how these iconic moments fuel our work. And, luckily, they don't require the athleticism of a star NFL wide receiver!

What Drives You to #AchieveMore?

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