Once Upon a Time… and into the future

I stand at the back of the room listening to the animated murmur of voices that are the participants of the latest LIOS Symposium. The mix of current and prospective students; alumni and staff has filled the space at the Doubletree Guest Suites to hear Alex Onno talk on the subject of Leadership. 'Talk' is the wrong word – she is guiding them to plunge into their own stories and explore with others a new perspective. I am listening as I also watch the room. I want to make sure that everyone has someone to talk to and that newcomers are given some paper to write on. Even though my thought process is splintered, I have my ear tuned to the questions that Alex is asking.

It is odd being back in the Summit Room at the Doubletree. It will always feel so familiar as if I literally lived there for the two years of my own LIOS graduate experience. Watching Alex charm the room with her wisdom and poise makes me smile and appreciate how lucky I was to have her as a teacher. It's been easy to tell prospective students how talented their faculty is because I am still humbled by having had their guidance and mentorship for myself. Alex was my prosem leader. Demanding, meticulous and with a heart filled with grace, she helped me hone my practitioner self. Now, I am seeing her dedication from within as a member of the LIOS staff. She continually offers support to me in my role as Director of Admissions. I know that she understands what it means to truly believe in this work and the importance of bringing LIOS practitioners out into the world. As a faculty member, Alex isn't alone in that, but there is a way that she and I connect in the heart of that goal. Here is a woman who knows a great deal about me – in ways that few other people do. It is part of the LIOS legacy – this knowing of self and other. How many of us have gone through the LIOS program and felt seen in a way that had never happened before? Faculty certainly 'see' their students and yet, the beauty of this program is that the student also 'sees' the humanity of the individual residing within the role of faculty member.

Alex is walking around the room, entering into discussion with the small groups that formed up at her bequest. No one wants to stop the conversations that have been provoked into being by Alex's insightful questions. She was teaching all day and now hosting this evening for the community. She stops and asks me how I think it is going. I smile and look around the room, pointing out to her that over forty people are in animated conversation with each other. She says she feels a little off and I shake my head and let her know that she is probably the only one who thinks so. She slips away with a soft smile and goes to bring the group back together. We listen as participants share where her questions are leading them: to a new way of looking at their stories. Even as someone slightly removed from the audience, I've been able to piece my own story together with her questions and know that I am walking away from the night with a great deal of personal insight. Alex's dedication and focus to this new way of considering the past and the future has created a buzz in the room. As the symposium wraps up, one alumnus walks by me with a smile and says, "This is exactly what I needed tonight."

I am student, alumnae and now staff of LIOS. It doesn't matter what role I have in this system. Here, in this moment, I am simply another member of a fabulous learning community that continues to bring its wisdom into my life.