Jones College of Business hosts
professional development event at Embassy Suites
MURFREESBORO,
Tenn. — Making time for yourself to discover your passions and determining
who you’re willing to fight for in life were two of the key messages delivered
by keynote speakers Friday at MTSU’s 21st Century: Work That Matters
conference at Embassy Suites.
Hosted by MTSU’s Jones
College of Business, the half-day personal and professional development
conference drew more than 200 attendees, including MTSU faculty, staff and
students as well as a variety of people from the wider business and
professional community.
“One of the most
important things we can do is reach out to the broader community,” Jones
College Dean David Urban said. “And we like the idea of getting people
from outside the university together with people inside the university because
it demonstrates to the broader region how engaged Middle Tennessee State
University and the Jones College really are in the improvement of personal and
professional lives in this region.”
Keynote speaker Jessica
Turner, an entrepreneur, best-selling author and award-winning marketing
professional, spoke on “Discovering Your Passions.” A wife and mother herself
with a fruitful schedule, Turner told the crowd it’s critical to take inventory
of how we use our time and find ways to redirect unproductive time — such as
mindlessly consuming social media — toward the things we’re most passionate
about.
“Prioritize and say no to
some things,” said Turner, lamenting how some people spend so much of their
time on others that they’ve actually forgotten their own passions. “Saying no
is one of the hardest things to do, but is one of most rewarding things to do.
… Say yes to what really matters and what you really need to do.”
MTSU student Daniel
Vincent, a sophomore aerospace major from Lynchburg, Virginia, said Turner
helped him realize that even at the young age of 19, it’s not too early to take
inventory of what he’s doing on a daily basis.
“It opened my eyes up to
how much a person can do,” he said. “It’s all about time management and she did
a great job of explaining that you do have time.”
Following Turner was Wes
Moore, a Rhodes Scholar, Army combat veteran, business leader and author
who spoke on “Transformational Leadership: Evolve, Adapt, Inspire.” Moore
shared his deeply personal story of overcoming obstacles as a young boy,
including losing his father at a young age.
Moore would eventually
write nonfiction bestseller “The Other Wes Moore,” the story of how he and
another man with the same name shared similar pasts but ended up taking very
different paths in life, the other Moore now serving a life sentence for his
role in an armed robbery that resulted in the death of an off-duty police
officer in Baltimore more than a decade ago.
Moore told the crowd
Friday that he benefited from having role models, mentors and advocates around
him who gave him the time and space to mature and understand what freedom
really meant. He said it’s the responsibility of each of us to reciprocate.
“Potential in this
country is universal, but opportunity is not,” he said, adding that all of us
can play some role in bridging that gap.
“The most important
question is who did you choose to fight for, to advocate for, to fight for when
it wasn’t easy or wasn’t convenient. … Our ability to actively fight for others
will not just be important now, but will be important long after we’re gone.”
Cayman Seagraves, an MTSU sophomore
business finance/real estate major from Atlanta, was inspired by Moore’s story
as he and a group of other MTSU students try to grow their real estate
business, Blue Raider Realty.
“His story was amazing,
and I realize how important it is to have a story behind what you’re doing,”
Seagraves said. “I want to be passionate about something like he is. I don’t
think I’ve found it yet, but I think I’m on the verge of something.”
Turner and Moore also
participated in a panel discussion with Jones College business award winners David
and Ann Hoke of Ann Hoke and Associates, Retta Gardner of Guaranty
Trust, Tim Downey of Southern Land Company, and Lorelei Samuelson
of SME Solutions Group. Allyn Walker, president of Dale Carnegie of
Tennessee, was facilitator.
The conference was
co-hosted by the Jennings. A. Jones Chair of Excellence in Private Enterprise,
First Tennessee Bank, and the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce.
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