Thanks, Global LEAD.

As I look back to the week of spring break, when I signed up for Global LEAD, I could have never envisioned just how incredible this experience has been. It has changed my life. It has taught me that the beauty of success and failure is that neither are final. I must constantly work to improve myself, take risks, and exist outside of my comfort zone. Complacency is the friend of mediocrity. Never be comfortable with where you are. Act, ask questions, and live life to its absolute fullest.

Just as there are moments that define a life, there have been moments on this trip where I have felt so incredibly happy, so incredibly alive. Whether standing on the jagged rocks on the top of table mountain looking out at the picturesque expanse that extends as far as the eye can see or looking a Great White Shark in the eyes as it lashes against the side of your cage or even the time where you laugh uncontrollably with a new friend, the Global LEAD experience has had such a profound effect on me. It has shaped my vision, sparked my love of adventure, and developed my passion for service. I have felt so alive.

It hard to imagine that I will soon be making the long, arduous journey back home. But I’m ready to be back home. Ready to see my family, friends, and dogs. But above all else I’m ready to go home and share my experiences with others. I’m ready to live out my bucket list every day. I’m ready to care, risk, dream and expect more than society deems normal. I’m ready to be a leader. Thanks, Global LEAD.

-Tim Rood