Year Seven: RYP Continues to Serve the Community
Just over a year ago, I assumed the role of president-elect for Rutland Young Professionals – a three-year term that also meant taking on the role of president the following year. If you had asked me at that time what the first month of as president of RYP would look like, you would not have been hearing the words “global pandemic” and “social distancing” being used.
These past few months have been incredibly challenging for everyone in a variety of different ways. We have all been impacted by COVID-19 in one way or another and I hope that for most of you, that impact has remained manageable and that you are reading this healthy and safe.
Despite the challenges we have faced, I have never been more proud to call Rutland County my home, especially as a young professional. It has been said before – and I am going to say it again – this community is amazing, and you cannot find anywhere comparable. The challenges we have experienced these past few months have been heartbreaking, and I feel for each and every one of you that has been negatively impacted – maybe you have lost your job, your business was forced to temporarily close, or you had to learn how to be a full-time teacher while also being a full-time employee at home. Despite all of these challenges, I wholeheartedly believe we are becoming stronger individuals, mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, employees, and leaders. As young professionals throughout Rutland County, we are the future leaders of this community, and these challenges will impact us for years to come.
We have already started to see how this has shaped us into stronger individuals and a stronger community. We’ve seen Speakeasy Café donating food to those in need when they weren’t able to serve it themselves, BROC Community Action continues to provide essentials to those in need, parades throughout the region honoring our essential workers, our teachers, and students, and implementing the most creative ways to stay emotionally connected while practicing physical distancing. We are stronger because of this experience.
As the new president of Rutland Young Professionals, I know this will be one of our most important years as we navigate this new way of life. Providing networking and professional development opportunities are two of our core offerings as an organization. You might think that this would be difficult to do virtually. However, RYP has already begun adapting to this new idea and taken advantage of modern technology. Networking and professional development sure do look a little different for us right now, but I promise you we are working diligently to ensure you continue to have these opportunities despite this new way of life.
Over the past few months, we have provided virtual Meet-Ups and workshops with presentations on financial planning and career readiness during COVID-19. As we try to look at the bright side of all the obstacles, I think one of the most positive things to come from all this is that online networking has allowed us to meet other young professionals from across the state that would not have been able to attend an in-person event in Rutland. I continue to be amazed at the number of young professionals attending our virtual events that I have never met before – it is a pretty great feeling.
I am so grateful to be navigating this new world with such amazing young professionals on our board of directors. We recently elected five new board members, and I could not be more thrilled to begin working with them. They are Matt Britt (also elected as secretary), Amy Laramie, Jacob Pluta, Vanessa Robertson, and Fran Sun. The skills, passion, and experiences that these individuals bring to the table will help us continue to provide incredible opportunities for our region.
We also have five returning board members: Alex Adams, Elicia Mailhiot (newly elected president-elect), Laura Pierce (immediate past president), Drew Smith (newly elected treasurer), and Dan Warnecke.
I am so incredibly confident in this group of leaders and I know we will continue to expand opportunities for young professionals in our region – whether that is virtual, in person, or a little bit of both!
While I am excited to be working with this fantastic group, I need to take a moment to recognize the four amazing board members who recently finished their terms: Erin Anderson, Travis Beauchamp, Leslie Doenges, and Joshua Lake. RYP and our greater community will forever be grateful for their commitment to this organization.
RYP has shaped me into the person I am today. RYP is celebrating its seventh birthday in July, so I want to acknowledge the past leaders of this organization, specifically former presidents Katye Munger, Sara Gilbert, Will Gormly, Steve Peters, and Laura Pierce. I know I have very large shoes to fill.
For the young professionals who haven’t joined us yet, I hope that you will consider doing so by attending some of our upcoming virtual events, joining a volunteer committee, and visiting us at a future in-person Mix as soon as it is safe to do so.
To my fellow Rutland County young professionals - stay healthy, stay safe, stay strong!
Kimberley Rupe is the new board president of Rutland Young Professionals. She works at Chamber & Economic Development of the Rutland Region.