There is a scene in Hidden Figures where Mary Jackson (played by Janelle Monae) has to argue why she should be allowed to attend a school so she can become a NASA engineer. The powerful moment came when she said to the judge “Your honor, out all the cases you going to hear today. Which one is going to matter 100 years from now? Which one is going to make you the first?” Here is the clip.

The first means something. The label is one that can be worn with pride and carries some weight of responsibility for the person. Let’s break it down:

• F – Fit into a mold? Nope, you created the mold!
• I – Innovation is your new middle name. You are pushing envelopes and opening doors.
• R – Responsibility and Respect come with the label and must be maintained.
• S – Support others on the journey! It’s important you are not the last.
• T – Time, Stephen Covey once said, “The key is in not spending time, but in investing it.”

The key is also making sure to celebrate and recognize those who helped you become the first. We have to continually refine and refresh ourselves so that we use that first as a launching pad for the next move.

It’s the first day of June (Happy Thursday)! It’s my first day back at work after a 5-month maternity leave (miss my baby already). My son is my first child (thinking about working on having a girl – really just a healthy baby). In 2016, I was one of the first in DC to be recognized as School Counselor of the Year by the American School Counselor Association. I am writing my first regular post for my blog (yes, I’m jumping in the blogging arena so get ready).

My first guest blog post went up last month. It’s about my project, 20 Reasons Why I Love Girl Power, and I am pretty excited about it along with some future guest blogs. You can check it out here. Feel free to share – it’s a movement so get on board early.

What firsts happened in your life? Please share.

Until next time…

Pecans, Peaches, and Peace,

Carletta