Hi Team,
Happy Summer! It’s finally here! 😊 I hope you are all taking advantage of our Summer half-day Friday’s to enjoy some nice quality time with the individuals in your life that matter most!
Speaking of the special people in our lives, a former professor of mine who I studied with during my undergrad at Syracuse University passed away last week quite suddenly. Many former students like me were stunned. He was an incredible, fierce, intense teacher, and one of those individuals that you think will just be around forever, as he seemed so invincible. His name was Rodney Scott Hudson, and he left an indelible imprint of generosity and kindness, and showed many what it really meant to be a teacher and serve as a mentor. He changed many lives for the better.
I studied several semesters with Rodney in his musical theatre master classes, and full disclosure: He wasn’t for everyone. He had quite an intense personality, and teaching methods to match. He was clever, inventive, and respectful; but when communication landed, it landed passionately. He told it like it was. No sugar coating. No coddling. If you didn’t do your homework enough, if you weren’t willing to take his guidance, and experiment making vocal adjustments or acting choices for your next presentation to him and the class, oh boy… He could tell immediately and would call you out in the most direct and unpleasant way. Conversely, if you worked hard to adapt his teachings into your project, he respected you deeply, and challenged you with some of the most difficult material to perform as a gift. Underneath his tough exterior, he cared deeply, and allowed his students to see it in his humor and compassion. He wanted his students to not only survive, but to thrive in the tough industry of the Performing Arts. I never gave up, and I pursued excellence in everything I worked on. In turn, I had the opportunity to work with him often 1:1 in these master classes in the presence of my peers. He would dedicate a good amount of time coaching me, forcing me to make big changes in my performance on the fly. In the end, my repertoire turned into extraordinary masterpieces. He believed in me and saw my potential that I was not able to see in myself at the time. I suppose that is one of the unique gifts of a Mentor. Somehow, they know. They can see your potential in ways you can’t. They challenge you, cheerlead you, provide encouragement, believe in you, and support you through your developmental growth journey. In the end, you discover you have developed the skills, the capacity, and mastery to take on more then you ever could imagine, and you do it well.
In our organization, in addition to our terrific Mentoring program, there are Mentors all around us in our community of Home who are willing to give support and share knowledge freely to help someone learn and grow. All we need to do is simply ask. Find the person who has the skill you want to achieve and reach out to connect! 😊
I will miss this generous, kind, and thoughtful man dearly. He was a role model of greatness, and a legendary Mentor. I will always honor the inspiration he provided by paying that same generosity forward to others in my everyday work and routines, though with a bit less intensity 😊. I invite you to read about Rodney’s incredible stage and teaching career here. To the many Mentors at E&I, thank you for making a difference in the lives of us all! 💖
Is there a Mentor that inspires or has inspired you? How and why? How has Mentorship changed you for the better? We would love to hear all about your experience in the comments section below.
Wishing you all a Better We, Better Week! 😊
Lori Beth
