I had returned to DODEA from a recent vacation to find that I had won the award. I had thought I was especially blessed because of my new full time position at DODEA, and now I had won this prestigious award. The year 2000 has been very good to me.

My daughter, Natasha, accompanied me to the award ceremonies. I was proud to have her by my side and be her mother. This was the first time I attended a formal function on behalf of DODEA. I was immediately struck by the beauty and elegance of the ceremony and soon began to feel the full effect of receiving this award.

I was still a bit nervous as I listened to the presenters. When my own name was called, I was very nervous and my heart started to pound as I walked up to the podium. I felt like the audience could hear my heart pounding and that would give me away. After the pictures were taken, my daughter told me how proud she was and of me and my award.

Since I started at DODEA, I have continued to do my best work and work harder than I ever have before. The award that I received showed me that hard work does pay off. Today, I am highly motivated as I continue to learn, strive and achieve in my field as a Visual Information Specialist.