Thank You For Being Such A Vital Part Of Our Team, Ron Wendt! We Look Forward To Sharing More About You So Others Can Get To Know You Better!
What or who inspired you to pursue your major/career?
I recognized early on that I wanted to serve others with my work and wasn’t interested in a more corporate career. It wasn’t until I worked as a teacher in Japan that I knew what this meant for me though. While there, I taught at a non-traditional high school that catered to part-time and older students and I loved it. Seeing students progress and the relationships I built with them and my colleagues was hugely rewarding. I gained more experience as an educator, working as a TA in grad school and then pivoted to program evaluation. This has been the majority of my career up to this point and let me continue working directly with people in mission-driven organizations with a focus on improving programs and outcomes.
What is one thing you are proud of achieving in your life?
I love my family and am proud of these relationships and all the time and effort we give to raising our daughter.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
My parents have been incredibly important to my success. They always emphasized the importance of education and pushed me to go to college. They saved for years to help with these costs. My mom also served as a role model for pursuing a career focused on serving others.
Share one professional development goal and one personal goal you have for the upcoming year.
Professional development: Earn my Tableau Data Analyst certification; Personal: Go hiking in Grand Teton
Why did you choose to be a volunteer for Educate. Radiate. Elevate.?
This is a chance for me to apply my skills to an important mission and support Educate. Radiate. Elevate. in achieving the greatest impact possible. I also am looking to build my experience with SQL and data visualization to support my own professional goals.
What about the Educate. Radiate. Elevate.’s Purpose, Mission, and Core Values speaks most to you and why?
I’ve focused my career on serving the underserved, first supporting people with developmental disabilities, later teaching at a high school that catered to part-time students and former dropouts, and then working with marginalized communities abroad. I was drawn to Educate. Radiate. Elevate. because the mission shares this same focus and because its done with the humility through inclusive teaching practices and care and empathy.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I have a young daughter, so most of my free time is spent playing with Paw Patrol figures, dancing in our living room, or going on adventures in our neighborhood. It’s the best.
Tell about an amazing trip you took. WherIs there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? What is it and why did it
resonate with you?
I love the Red Rising series and how it weaves together sci fi, Roman/Greek mythology, and social commentary. I also love Infinite Jest. While not for everyone, the extensive footnotes are brilliant and tickle my brain in just the right way. It’s also a profound and beautiful book, touching on consumerism, addiction, education (and a lot more).
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be?
There are already many great leaders striving to inspire decisive action on climate change. If I was a person of great influence, I would pressure countries to do more, act decisively, and to fund efforts mitigation and adaptation efforts globally.
Please share your favorite life lesson quote. How is it relevant to your life?
“The truth will set you free, but not until it’s finished with you” (David Foster Wallace). I think of this as an acknowledgement that truth can be hard, painful, and destructive even but that this process ultimately changes us for the better.
