Message from the President
by Ted Malone

This is my last article as WASFAA president (I hope). It seems like a long time in the past when I wrote my farewell a year ago. So much has happened. My friend Julie became a Fed. My son learned to read. I resumed my role as WASFAA president, and I learned even more about trusting those who do the work in the trenches. My staff picked up the load in the office again; the Executive Council of WASFAA gave me great support; Youlonda Copeland-Morgan finalized the job of running the WASFAA election; and all the committees continued on just as if Julie were still the president.

I am sitting in my hotel room in Sedona, Arizona while attending the AASFAA spring conference. They really have done a great job of putting this meeting together. Last week I attended the PacFAA conference. I was really impressed with the job they did putting their conference together. Taking advantage of the College Board Meeting, they had presenters from all over the country. Once again I have been treated so well at all the state meetings I've attended. Meeting the members all over the region is really the highlight of being WASFAA president.

I'd like to congratulate the newly elected WASFAA Officers of next years board. Addalou Davis is your new President-elect. Leonard Walker is your new Vice President. Christina Castorena is the Representative-at-Large and Chair of the Ethnic Diversity Action Committee. Kate Bligh is the new Secretary. They join Doug Severs, Tracy Reisinger, and me as holdovers from this year. The remainder of the board is the eight State Presidents and a Representative-at-Large to be appointed by your new President, Doug. These are the folks you want to contact with your ideas for the new year.

I recently heard a speaker at the Arizona conference named Zebulun Davenport from James Madison University . He spoke about how your "Attitude Determines your Altitude." His point is that your mental state has a great impact on how you perceive and react to your world. The next Sunday I heard a message on Thankfulness. I am convinced that we really need to focus on our positives. It is so easy to focus on what I think is wrong with Return of Title IV Aid or how the Drug Conviction question is a joke. (Somehow, I think those still involved in that lifestyle might lie, while the folks we catch are the ones who are really trying to change their lives.) However, I choose to focus on the impact that we have on student lives. I'm thankful that most students who want an education are not hindered by costs. It may not always be the exact aid they hoped for, but they can succeed. I could be angry that gas prices have gone through the roof, or I could be thankful that they are still less than what the rest of the world pays. It's all in your attitude.

A thankful heart is a heart filled with joy. A grateful heart is liberated from desire to acquire endless things that do not bring anymore happiness than what we already had. I don't mean that you should be complacent and just take everything as unchangeable. We work in an arena where the squeaky wheel usually does get the grease, and we do need to let our supervisors and legislators know our needs. However, take some time this time of year to realize how fortunate we are. We have blessings that abound. We have luxuries that our parents could not have conceived when they were our age. (A pretty safe assumption no matter your age.) Why don't you take the time today to tell someone you are thankful for them and what they do?

Thank you all for the opportunity to be your President.