I was not sure I wanted to do it. I was not convinced that I wanted to be one of the AIDS 2012 Embajador, part of the Mobilizing Latino/Hispanic Communities for the XIX International AIDS Conference initiative. I started completing the application, and left it incomplete. Soon after, I received a message inquiring about my application: It was incomplete; was this a mistake? I took that as a sign that I should complete the process, but as it often happens, other things landed on my plate and I forgot the application...until the day I got a message in Outlook reminding me of the deadline to complete it, which, of course, I received a day after because I was not in the office that day. What to do now? By now I was sure I wanted the opportunity to be an Embajadora at the XIX International AIDS Conference! I thought i could do a great job, but I had missed the deadline. I sent an email just to check if there were any extensions to the deadline, and when I received confirmation that it had been extended I took it as a definitive signal that this was an opportunity for me - I had to do it! And so I did.
And then the day came: May 2nd, 2012 I receive notification that I had been selected as an Embajadora! Wooohooo! I could not believe it! I was ecstatic and nervous at the same time. I knew there were high expectations, and I was sure that I could fulfill these expectations, but it was something new for me. After all, I had been at CALOR for over 20 years and had always shied away from participating in conferences and similar events, always giving the opportunity to other staff members. But my experience as a Community Co-Chair for the USCA 2011 had sparked a new interest, and I saw this as the perfect opportunity to continue on this path.
So here I am, almost a month away from the Conference, learning new things, looking forward to meeting my fellow Embajadores from all over the United States and Puerto Rico, and to get to participate in the excellent sessions that are part of the conference's program.
I will be posting updates here, so come back for more! Also, follow me on Twitter @ilemanda.
Be back soon!
Rosa
