Photo by Vanessa Smith Photography | vsmithphotography.com
Woah…are we really already five FAQ Friday’s deep?! Talk about time flying! I thought I would mix things up a bit by answering a personal question today!
This question is actually THE number one question I am asked…by clients, and friends, and coworkers, and random people on the street that I somehow find myself in conversation with. So much so, that I now have my answer rehearsed , polished and perfected into a little mini elevator pitch Now…I understand that this question is a great conversation starter, but it is also a really great question! How the heck did a Texas gal like me make her way to Washington DC?
There’s actually a couple of ways I can answer this question! I’ll start with the simple answer first:
When I graduated from Penn State in May of 2016, I was lucky enough to receive an internship offer and an offer to audition at a fitness studio that I really loved–both happened to be in Washington, DC! Fast forward a few months, and I was in an apartment I loved, had trained with said fitness studio and was starting on their schedule, and started in a new job with a super amazing nonprofit! I’ve been here in the District ever since!
Now, there is also a longer answer that gets a bit complicated…ya ready?
The first part has to do with my family and friends! When I was picking regions to apply to post-grad, I knew that I wanted to stay on the east coast….though I totally wasn’t down for another Pennsylvania winter!
The majority of my extended family calls the east coast home, as do many of my friends from school. I am holding out hope that my parents will be moving back up here in the future, and my sister lives in Baltimore, while my brother attends Penn State (We Are!). It was just so important to me that I was close to family and friends, and I felt like DC may be a good compromise there. So, I started sending applications out, not only there, but all up and down the east coast!
Laying the foundation for a business can be a pretty heavy task. I knew that I would be settling some pretty steady roots in my business, at least for the first couple of years, and I wanted to be able to have the leisure to visit family and friends from college whenever I wanted. It is a lot harder to do that when flights are involved!
The second? You guessed it…business! I saw an amazing opportunity for growth in DC! The architecture is beautiful, and the city is pretty unreal…I mean the monuments? Georgetown? Come on! But, it is also situated in a place that allows me to be pretty mobile! I’m able to easily access so many markets, sweet clients, and gorgeous venues and locations in Virginia and Maryland and Delaware and Pennsylvania and beyond! I saw an amazing opportunity for personal and professional growth in this city, and I ran with it!
What did I fail to learn before moving here? DC is expensive! (And has the tax rates to match!). Also…the traffic really is as crazy as they say! It once took me 60 minutes to drive just 6 miles! I really wish I was joking here!
So why DC? Now you know! The last year-plus has been pretty crazy, as most big changes are! Do I still daydream about moving back to Texas? Yes absolutely! Though, not as much as I used to. I’m so excited to see what the future will hold, and I can’t wait to share it with you!
Do you have a question for me? Send me a note through my very first FAQ Friday post!
