The Man with the Dog on his Shoulder
The first time I saw this man, he was standing in the corner of the baggage claim with a dog on his shoulders and I immediately thought to myself, “Who is this man and why does he have a dog on his shoulder?” I didn't even know dogs could stand on a shoulder that way. But this man was also the person that first pointed out the White House for me. I didn’t quite remember his name at first, I kept thinking it was Ron, so in a way I wanted to baptize him (a phrase used because of history). I bet Rob is a mentor to a lot of people, the way he knows what to say and when to say it. Rob is the type of mentor to emotionally let you open up to them. Our conversations were not always about work, we often talked about what made you the great person that you are, like growing up in such a rural area, the passing of my father, and trying to navigate through life as a first generation student. When it comes down to work, Rob will walk with you to CVS with blistered feet to get you bandaids while practicing your 30-second pitch to him. With any question that you may have about literally anything Rob knew the answer, and if he didn't he would search it up and show pictures.
I say all the time, “God knew I needed you” and that's exactly how I feel about meeting Rob. I love when people care about me on both an emotional level and a professional level. When first meeting Rob I just felt comfortable letting him guide me in the right direction and always being blunt with me about how I am doing things. Even though I have only known him for five weeks it has felt like I've known him a whole lifetime. Rob’s personality is always a go-go-go just like Washington D.C. is, so having him around also helped me understand how people were in the city. I am so thankful that I view Rob as one of my mentors, and so glad our paths have crossed.