From the Outgoing President
Club President Reflects on Her Term
Today, July 18, 2023, I formally handed over the role of President of The Harvard Club of Alabama to Rebecca O’Neal. It’s fitting that our board meeting finalizing the transition fell on this day as, on this day seven years ago, I had what I have now come to call a sidewalk-ending moment. The result was that my family and I left a perfectly happy life in Southern California and moved to Huntsville. It was the best thing we ever did.
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What’s a “sidewalk-ending moment,” you ask? It’s one of those moments where something happens that completely catches you off guard, and you initially think, “Oh, I couldn’t do that,” followed by, “Wait, could I?”
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The sidewalk-ending moment that resulted in our move to Huntsville was during a two-week trip there so our daughter, who was in 4th grade, could attend day camp at U.S. Space & Rocket. Our third day in town, Jeff and I dropped her off at camp and came home to the little house we had rented, deciding to take a walk before sitting down to work remotely for the day. We journeyed to the edge of the cookie-cutter neighborhood only to discover the sidewalk ended abruptly, on a very busy street (photo below). Rather than turn around, we decided to cross the road to a street that bordered a small farm.
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We found ourselves in a small neighborhood filled with homes on large lots. We discovered that not only did one side border the farm, another was nestled up against Land Trust property. It was quiet and peaceful. There were cows grazing in the pasture, birds singing and trees—so many trees! It was a stark contrast in every way to a walk around our neighborhood in the suburbs of Los Angeles.
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During our short loop around the neighborhood, we walked by a house that caught our eye. It was for sale and, completely on impulse, we looked at it that day. We loved it, but why in the world would we move across the country? Yet during the two weeks we spent in Huntsville, we fell in love with the area, the people and what the community offered. And we couldn’t stop thinking about that house.
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On the way to the airport, we decided to make an offer on the house and move. It seemed crazy, but we just knew, in the depths of our being, that it was the right choice—a sidewalk-ending moment.
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When we told our friends we were moving, they all responded, incredulously, “You’re moving to Alabama?” Let’s face it, in much of the national media, Alabama has a bad rap. But you and I know differently, don’t we?
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For the first year that we lived here, we spent a lot of our time educating friends and family in other parts of the country about all the Yellowhammer State has to offer. Then, I joined the Harvard Club as the Huntsville Regional Representative, learning from former president Will Wright and the rest of the board about a passion for sharing the uniqueness of the state in an effort to decrease the brain drain of smart folks leaving the state. It resonated deeply then, and it continues to do so.
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It's been a privilege to lead the Club for the past two years. I am proud of the work that we, the Board, have accomplished over these last two years. We’ve created many more opportunities for people throughout the state to connect with each other both in person and virtually, with our regional reps to connect with in five major area and a whopping 24 in person events in just as many months. Over 350 prospective students were interviewed by our alumni and 19 of them were offered coveted spots as first-years. We worked with Phillips Brooks House to create virtual internships for four students during Alternative Winter Break. We helped five students (four in person and one virtual) get summer internships with Alabama-based organizations.
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But most importantly, I’ve met so many incredible Harvard alums and students—people who are wonderful informal (and some formal) spokespeople for what makes our state great; people who are making a difference not just in their communities, but for the greater good; people who are fun and fascinating and just really good souls; people I am honored to call my friends.
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And none of this would have ever happened if I hadn’t decided to take that leap when the sidewalk ended.
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The thing about sidewalk-ending moments is that they often produce stomach flip-flops that make you do your best to tamp down the idea, sometimes rejecting it altogether.
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But sidewalk-ending moments are one of the ways we grow.
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Where might you be if you took a leap when your sidewalk ended abruptly? Pay attention to those signs and don’t be afraid...Then follow them. You just might experience something greater than you could have ever imagined.
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~ Tara Baukus Mello