My eyes slowly open as the panorama of Eastern landscape gently rolls past. The gentle swaying of the train steadily propels my sleeper car through each changing region from Chicago to New York city. My trek to the east coast began much earlier than this 17-hour experience as a train-passenger. Meeting new people while attending college in the Midwest, where I grew up, I encountered new groups of personalities and ideologies. The realization not all people are cut from the same cloth, so to speak, pushed me to seek opportunities exploring notable cultural differences existing across the various regions of the United States.
In October of 2021 I decided to visit our nation’s capital during Memorial Day weekend in hopes to also get a sense of what diversity I could find in a new city. Determined to enjoy not only the destination, but the journey itself, I took the often-overlooked opportunity to take a passenger train through what I hoped was the scenic route.
I was not disappointed as the train finally arrived in the capital around 1:30 PM. What was the plan? There was no detailed agenda. As a programmer at ASI, I thrive in stepping into unfamiliar projects and absorbing the environment before transforming problems into solutions.
Although there was more to see, I stayed the course toward the next destination – New York City. Despite the city feeling like a bigger version of Chicago, I was again lost. It wasn’t long, however, before I found the World Trade Center. I was born in 2002 and wanted to visit the tribute I heard so much about in school. Taking in the views of the towering building before me and the 9/11 memorial was unsurprisingly eye opening to experience.
Problems deciphering direction found me immediately as I stepped off the unfamiliar platform into the chaos of the crowded National Mall. I began walking past the line of ice cream and food trucks unapologetically parked eagerly serving the flock of tourists gathered to take in all historic DC had to offer. After a few minutes of walking, I was rewarded with the sites of our nation’s Capital building, the impressive Washington monument, and the historic White House. The images in my AP Government textbook lacked the magnitude of the real-life versions of these buildings.
While my head spun with the people and sites I saw on my journey Northeast, it was time to head back home to the familiar. My enthusiasm for problem solving increased as I navigated new geography successfully. I returned to my desk at ASI equipped with a clearer view of what might be next in my future, a new appreciation for our nation’s history and a small taste of Northeast Corridor culture. I’m ready for the next chance to visit more sites that time did not permit and expose myself to new people and experiences.
I hope by reading this, you are encouraged to let your curiosity get the best of you. You never know how overcoming a challenge or initiating an opportunity will grow you. We talk a lot at ASI about “personalized innovation.” Now consider what might result if you partnered with ASI to stretch, grow, and manage your organization.