Cassidy Myers spent two years with Invisible Children as a Roadie, then a Team Leader, and then as a member of our Austin Street Team during KONY 2012. Cassidy left Invisible Children this past December and is now living out her lifelong dream of working at Nike Headquarters in Portland, Oregon.
The following is an an open letter from Cassidy to anyone who may be contemplating interning with Invisible Children this fall.
To Whom It May Concern:
When you imagine a “typical” Invisible Children intern, I would never be the person to come to mind. I’m obnoxiously obsessed with basketball, I’m fairly introverted, public speaking is my #1 fear in the world, I’m not an obsessive hugger, I don’t have hipster tendencies, and, aside from my Kentucky basketball sweatshirt and Sacramento Kings T-shirt, I have no fashionable clothing. I very nearly let the above list keep me from, by far, the most incredible, most formative and most memorable two years of my life.
Thank goodness my better senses prevailed. In a current societal climate of sensory overload, it seems there’s very little that can not only grab the attention of a self-involved high school senior (me), but can light such a fire under you that you overlook the “reasons why not” and give in to the grandest adventure of your life. When I got the call that I’d been chosen as a member of the 2011 Spring Roadie class, I knew immediately that this was something that I couldn’t NOT do. I decided at that moment I wouldn’t let my own worries or concerns or preconceived notions keep me from being a part of something so important.
Aside from the dozens of lifelong best friends, the countless memories, the beautiful places I’ve seen and the thousands of students I’ve spoken to from stage (and, yes, public speaking is still my biggest fear), the two most important things I’ve taken from my two years at Invisible Children are the old cliché that life truly begins at the end of your comfort zone and something my dad has been telling me since I was little: “Life is an adventure for those with the courage to explore.” Not only did my time at Invisible Children take me through 3 different positions, 14 beautiful states, and 10 incredible teammates, but it gave me the advantage of understanding the importance of growth, courage, and adventure much earlier in life than most people. The hard skills I learned while at IC are too numerous to list, but they gave me such an incredible work ethic and foundation that now, five months removed from IC, I’m working my dream job at Nike and thriving in a high-intensity, fast-paced environment in which you’re expected to perform at your best, much like the one I grew to love at Invisible Children.
Don’t overthink yourself on the best decision you could ever make. Lifelong friends from around the world, memories to last a lifetime, an adventure for the ages, all while working with other young people equally as driven to end Africa’s longest-running war and gaining invaluable skills for the rest of your life. The moral of the story here is to just do it (Nike pun intended).
Sincerely,
Cassidy Myers
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