When I first saw a decision email from K2 & Co., my hands started visibly shaking. It was my last official day as a Hilltern, and my office had taken us to Talay Thai (if you know D.C., you know) where I currently sat obsessively refreshing my inbox: a habit that was encouraged by, but had not begun with, my time on the Hill. Instinctively, I pressed to open my only new, only relevant email.
“Hi Sophie – Thank you so much for taking the time to…”.
Okay. So automatically, that probably didn’t go the way I’d hoped it would. Fortunately for me, hope dies last.
“We would like to formally offer you…”.
Suddenly I didn’t need to read anymore.
Dramatically, I shelf this picturesque moment up there with the birth of my three kid sisters; – I have four, but Sarina’s too close in age for me to remember life without– my first successful coffee chat into a Congressional internship; and an acceptance to my top college, thank you Rice University. There are so few moments I can recall where I felt like I’d truly accomplished something, but this was indefinitely one.
Having found the opportunity to work for powerful conservative change makers at a woman owned company no less while still working toward my degree was so serendipitous, I didn’t shut up about it for a week.
This moment in and of itself is likely my first K2 life lesson: if you make yourself believe you are less now, you’ll never know you can be more. I thought I was a far cry from the younger version of myself that always expected the worst, but as it turns out, she was closer than I thought.
Still, though I haven’t been with the company for more than a week, the amount I’ve already been exposed to has shown me so much. Even more than that, I’ve been struck by my genuinely kind, excited colleagues who I have yet to know but who are already so willing to help. If nothing else, I’ve learned that there is a lot more to this work than having the right answer or the perfect idea. It’s about asking better questions, being eager to learn, and surrounding yourself with people who challenge you to think bigger.
And that is what I’m most excited about at K2. I truly look forward to learning from people who have built careers around making arguments that matter, to contribute wherever I can, and to figure out what I’m capable of when I stop assuming my limits.
A week in, I’m obviously still figuring things out. I have plenty to learn, plenty of questions to ask, and probably plenty of emails to obsessively refresh. But if the first week is any indication, I think I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.
Here’s to the next climb.
Gratefully,
Sophie Garlick