1. Connecting the Dots Julie Armstrong
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Thank you for inviting me to speak tonight at the CoSo meeting, I am truly honored to be here.
Introduce yourself here.
What a great group of students! and congratulations on the 20th anniversary of CoSo!
I was asked to talk about "me" tonight! when I reflecte upon the topic, I thought, "why me? What do I have to offer"?
And then I answered my own questions..."Why not me?" I believe I actually have a lot to offer college students who are setting out on their own to find their way.
And the context I would like to frame tonight's conversation in is, "Connecting the Dots."
Julie Armstrong

2. Steve Jobs said it best…
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future
You have to trust in something: your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down and it has made all of the difference in my life.”
-- Steve Jobs,
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Steve Jobs said it best. In fact, he said a lot of things best. He was a personal hero of mine and of so many of synchronicity; and how everything happens for a reason.
The reason may not be clear at the time, however. Like Steve Jobs said, you can't connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards.

3. Some of my obvious dots Faculty, St. Edward’s University (current)
Faculty, Colorado State University-Pueblo (3 years)
Small business owner (8 years to present)
Healthcare marketing and communication professional (25 years)
Masters degree in Communication (St. Mary’s University)
Bachelors degree in English & Art (Trinity University)
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So when you see me now, many of my "dots" are visible and obvious -- these are my accomplishments that made me what I am today. I can connect all of these dots.
But what I did before and how I can to be what I am today started a long time ago.

4. And, not so obvious dots…
Internship after college at Dallas Museum of Art in education, curatorial, and public relations departments
With an English degree came strong writing skills
Livelong love of fine arts and visual communication
Love affair with healthcare but too right-brain dominant to be a clinician or physician
Which path would I take?
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When we look back on the forks in the road and the paths we have chosen, we can only hope that picked the right road. With so many options open to college graduates today, the paths will be many! Grad school, service, nonprofit work, corporate America, politics and government -- the opportuities are endless.
Stop and think back on how your dots will all connect.

5. Healthcare Communication: the road less traveled
Started as entry-level community relations coordinator at 416-bed acute-care tertiary care hospital in San Antonio
Promoted three months later to PR director
Promoted again to Marketing Communication Director
All within four years!
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So, you know I picked the road less traveled. With a physician father and a mother who was a nurse, I grew up in the healthcare environment. My siblings and cousins are doctors, nurses, geologists, wildlife biologists and scientists.
Me? I don't have a scientific bone in my body. But I knew what I didn't know and I quickly found out who to ask to find the answers.
So many people helped me along the way and I recieved incredible on the job training -- in marketing, planning, budgeting, data analysis.

6. Why is this woman smiling?
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I'm smiling because it was a great career. My passion for healthcare has never waned. I spent 25 years in the business until it was time for a personal change. I weathered so many storms -- the introduction of the Prospective Payment System and DRGs in the late 80's, the advent laser surgery, robotic surgery, lifesaving medical breakthroughs, clinical trials and lifesaving cutting edge technology.
I watched an open heart surgery, one of the greatest miracles I have ever witnessed. I watched as a man bedridden with Parkinson's Disease was able to pick up a glass of water and drink it for the first time in decades after a successful neurosurgical procedure called Deep Brain Stimulation.
I got layed off twice...these were both dots that later connected to even greater things.

7. Because it’s been a great ride!
Director of marketing communication for Penrose-St. Francis Health Services, Colorado Springs
Director of communication for Physician Reliance Network (now US Oncology)
Director of marketing communication, South Texas region, Columbia HCA
Director of marketing communication, Shannon Medical Center, San Angelo, TX
Director of marketing communication, Humana Hospital New Orleans
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So my career progressed and it truly was a great ride. I even did a stint here in Austin at Brackenridge Hospital early in my career!

8. More dots…
Director of marketing communication, St. Luke’s Lutheran Hospital, San Antonio
Director of marketing communication, Humana Hospital-San Antonio
Intern, Dallas Museum of Art
College student
Child who won the first grade essay contest:
“Why I want to Be a Teacher”

9. The Best is Yet to Come!
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary
Steve Jobs, Stanford commencement address, 2005
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My personal passions include travel and reading and I've been all over the world. I just took one of those little "tests" on Facebook and the results told me I am in the top 3% of people who have traveled the world. But, I still have a lot of places to go.

10. “The world is a book, and those who do not travel only read a page
“The world is a book, and those who do not travel only read a page.” - Saint Augustine
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So, thank you again, CoSo. I encourage to use your gifts and to make a difference in the world. You are millennials and you will save the world!

11. Thank you!
Julie Armstrong
#juliecolorado