Chasing Dreams

As most of you know, Mitchell majored in Engineering Physics at OU and has had hopes and dreams of being an engineer since high school. The past year and a half, he has been teaching high school engineering (at the same school that I work at). It has been a wonderful blessing. Last year, when I struggled the most, it was so helpful to get to drive to work together and drive home together. He understood everything going on and comiserated with me through the tears, laughter, and various trials that one's first year of teaching presents. However, teaching is not Mitchell's dream. Engineering is Mitchell's dream.

To make a long story short, Mitchell ended up getting a job this past week at the company he interned with in college, Holcim. He has wanted to work here since his internship in 2008, but it has been a bit challenging (to say the least) to get in the door. He ended up being pursued for a position he actually hadn't even applied for. Thankfully, he had kept in close contact with the HR manager and another engineering manager over the past few years, which really helped him get in the door. Several interviews and an even longer story later, Mitchell ended up getting offered the job on Monday, resigned from Williams on Tuesday, has his last day on Friday, and is starting at Holcim on Monday. PHEW! It's been crazy, but we're excited about the plan that God has for Mitchell's life and feel confident that this was the right decision. It has been a bit awkward and hard to leave teaching in the middle of the year. Mitchell will be telling all 200 of his students tomorrow, which will be the hardest part. He wrote them a long letter and our prayer is that they don't view this as Mitchell abandoning them, but see him pursuing his life goals like he hopes each one of them does someday.

I am so proud of Mitchell and happy that he gets to do what he has always wanted to do. Selfishly, I am going to miss getting to work with him. However, I can so clearly see how God has strategicially written our life story and it is definitely his time to move on!

Here is a picture of us in 2008 at Holcim when I came to visit him at work:


Congratulations, Mitchell!