Fidelity Job Shadow

Saturday, October 9, 2010, the JIW girls took a trip to Fidelity for a job shadow. We arrived bright and early at the Fidelity building where we split up into groups and took a tour of the facilities. The four floors were filled with desks, computers, and conference rooms as should be expected from a large business. I've never seen all the insides of one before and it was really interesting. Like with everything I do, I related each thing I saw with some memory mini play in my mind. The conference rooms reminded me of the ones in Nemours where I attended a support group for parents who have children with epilepsy. One look around the room and I can imagine leading a workshop in such a room. The screen would display a powerpoint of my own design. The people sitting around the table would watch me attentively. Okay, maybe some would be dosing off but it would not be a result of my oratory skills. There's always a few of those. But I would be doing an amazing job if I may say so myself. On those computers, I could see myself typing out a new advertising idea or a news story. I would only be doing that until the book I'm working on at the moment gets big, of course. The point is, such a big company brought to my mind a future of successful ventures. It's an exciting feeling and it only got more so as the day went on.

After the tour, we broke up into smaller groups and were put into different rooms as certain employees talked about different topics with us. First, Miss Elizabeth talked to my group about getting ready for college and handling one's money the right way. I am a senior and already applying to colleges (at this moment, I've already applied to four) but there were still some things I learned from her. She took us through her average day for her as an employee at Fidelity and I had a nice time listening to her speak. When she was done, two other people came in and talked to us about owning a business. We started with a game where we pretended we were selling lemonade. It was not unlike an old cell phone game called lemonade stand that I used to play on my aunt's phone. We had to make the right business decisions throughout the game so that we came out with a profit instead of in debt. It was very enjoyable.

The groups converged for lunch where different employees sat with the groups and we got to ask them questions about their jobs and experiences. The person who sat closest to me was Miss Nininger. I already liked her when I saw her name on her nametag as I'm always a fan of interesting names. I spent a few seconds perfecting it after she told me how to say it. Nye-ning-grr. She was a delightful, hilarious and insightful woman. She told me about her history in college and the military and how she came to be an employee at Fidelity. Of everyone I had listened to that day, I loved her the most. The entire day was an experience that I thoroughly enjoyed and everyone was excellent. I think hearing from people in a business really helped the younger girls who wouldn't usually get to do something like this. That's the great thing about Journey Into Womanhood. It's a program that exposes us to vaulable experiences such as this. I'm always so grateful for them.

My best friend HANNAH BROMMER

Editor Note:  Each June, the Journey into Womanhood program hosts a celebration where all the girls showcase thier talents in public speaking, dancing, singing, creative writing etc...  This year Gabby a 7th grade student touched the audience with a moving story about her best friend Hannah and her battle with cancer.  The entire JIW family came to know Hannah through Gabby's story at the banquet.  On Saturday, October 9, Hannah Broomer lost her battle with cancer.  We dedicate this blog post, to the memory of a brave little girl who showed us all the importance of persaverance, tenacity, humor and brought such joy to the Journey into Womanhood family. Below is a transcript of Gabby's speech at the 6th Annual Journey Into Womanhood Banquet.

When my friend Ashton and I called at 4:10 February 19th Hannah’s grandmother answered, we asked to speak to Hannah because she wasn’t at school Mrs. Nona (her grandma) said Hannah is having an operation!!!!!!!!!!! Once I heard that I cried to death, I couldn’t stop, I couldn’t breathe, I was that hurt I felt like a belly button cord ripped out of my stomach. Hannah is the first friend I ever had that cares and helps me with a lot of things. That day we found out that she was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma cancer. That type of cancer is the most common soft tissue tumor in children. Hannah is a STRAIGHT A student and well behaves, that doesn’t deserve this but good thing that it is a treatable cancer. But I hate the side effects. The Tumor is located behind her nose by her eye, she losing weight; she has a black eye because of her medicine that’s making her healthy again. One day on Sunday, March 21, 2010 9:38 PM,

It got very very emotional for Hannah. When Mrs. Brommer (her momma) brushed her hair after Hannah’s shower a lot of her hair started to come out. She was very distraught so Shelby (her sis), Jeff (her dad) and her momma just held her while she cried. When her mom tried brushing her hair before church they noticed it had matted into a tangled knot so her mom put it into a ponytail the best she could. Their hairdresser, Jerri, offered to cut it for her but Hannah just wasn't ready. Now Hannah had no other choice. No amount of conditioner would untangle the hair. So that afternoon, after a lot tears, Hannah let her momma cut it. Her sister and daddy held her hands while she did the best job a dental hygienist can do at cutting hair. She actually kind of liked it short and is thinking about getting a short wig now, although I hope Hannah won't worry about that...because we love her just the way she is.

Now if you have any questions about dealing with a friend or family members dealing with cancer, just ask me because now I know what it feels like to have someone very close to you that you love going through this nasty pain.

ALWAYS SAY SOMETHING FROM THE MY HEART. my best friend Hannah is a survivor, and she is here today to show her love and support for me and I would like to acknowledge her at this time.