How I landed the Advisory Board position with a national Nonprofit organization was a culmination of years of volunteering, an eagerness to contribute to their ethos and the diversity of my spirit. Can’d Aid is a wonderful organization that supports conservation, encourages outdoor engagement, and builds local communities. They do this via volunteer events that focus on cleaning up local trails and watersheds of trash, donating bikes and skateboards, and art kits built by community members, and hosting community events with music and outdoor activities. For many years while working at Medtronic, I was offered the opportunity to participate in various events hosted by Can’d Aid. I loved the variety of impacts they seek to generate with their philanthropy. However, it wasn’t until I started my graduate degree that I leaned into the organization and applied for the Advisory Board for Denver programs. My journey as a queer and nonbinary person of interest has been mostly avoiding outting myself at work. During my experience leading women to educate themselves on diversity, I could not ethically continue to no identify my authentic self as a person who is someone different. I found my voice and helped launch a campaign for all employees to feel empowered to self-identify their gender and sexuality. Today, I proudly share my status as a human with minority views, and when applying for the position with Can’d Aid, I expressed a desire to represent the LGBTQ+ community on the Advisory board. Being selected to help the organization with my views and desires fills my spirit with joy. Inclusion in any community starts with representation, and being seen when you are a minority is no small task. The Advisory Board in Denver needs diversity in race, sexual identity, gender, socioeconomic class, and age to ensure we are meeting the needs of all the community members in our city. I’m delighted to be a change maker helping this national nonprofit learn and expand its efforts to enhance our world one event at a time.