Know Your Own Bone

I was honored to be named Brazen Careerist’s Blogger of The Year last week after this post got me nominated with 49 incredible Gen Y bloggers, and after receiving several votes on twitter for this blog.

I am still beyond thrilled to be nominated with such (downright cool) thought-food providers. In fact, after seeing Brazen’s frequently-featured favorites on the nomination list (such as Rebecca Thorman and Grace Boyle), I smiled– felt proud that a nonprofit-focused careerist might have rolled with the best of them for a little while– and tweeted a request for votes with a feeling of satisfaction, but with rather low expectations. After all, this blog is only five months old and, unlike the other 49 bloggers on the list, I focus on nonprofit organizations and experiences within the civic sector.

Along these lines, the power of community and relationship building– two critical elements in nonprofit management– were reinforced through this experience for me.  There’s no doubt that there’s increasing emphasis on engagement, creating connections, and civic responsibility within the private sector, that Gen Y is itching to make a difference, and that often the best solutions to social problems arise when we are sector agnostic. These are topics that frequently arise in this blog, and I’m thrilled that these areas of focus (engagement, relationship-building, and civic responsibility) are trending quickly enough to make this blog brazen and relevant to all careerists. Moreover, I’m excited that my own optimistic take on professional capabilities during the recession is what got me nominated!

Community and relationships were important in this Brazen Careerist contest because, in order to obtain this honor, my communities of friends and followers had to vote. I asked for support and I was absolutely blown away by the response. Pacific Science Center cast a vote my way, and even The University of Chicago Magazine asked alumni for support in my endeavor. I was touched by friends, acquaintances, and strangers alike. Mostly, though, after learning a bit about the folks behind the tweets, I learned that there are many incredible and talented folks reading this blog.

So, I’d like to introduce you to some of my stellar readers who help to keep me open-minded and thinking. These are the folks who voted for me through twitter (including those on both locked and unlocked accounts, and those who voted after the deadline). I know some of these folks personally and I know some of them virtually. There are also a good amount whom I have never met, but since the contest, I’ve looked up their blogs and gotten to know a little bit more about them as well. I’m thrilled to have such a talented group of supporters on twitter!

• AJ_Bingham- AJ’s blog was one of my favorites to win the contest.
• ajlovesya- Allison created the NMBA, and writes Entry Level Living.
• amandatice- Amanda is a model and talented video host.
• anthoniaa-As a freelance writer, Anthonia is a journalism pro.
• aschulner- Alaina is a creative and resourceful event manager and marketer.
• alicesastroinfo- I dare you to stump Alice with astronomy-related information.
• BrittinR- Brittin is a museum-lover and anthropologist.
• brylog- Bryan is a neuroscientist and photographer.
  
• bullery- Brooke knows more about math than anyone I know.
  
• burntbythesun- Louis provides incredible food-for-thought.
• Camille614- Camille is a Chicago-lover living in lovely Seattle (I’ve been there!)
  
• cathduncan- Cath is the talented blogger behind Mine Your Resources.
• ceysav- Ceyda bakes delicious cupcakes and takes lots of pictures!
  
• charlesdoss- Charles is a math and fun-loving PhD student.
  
• Chastidy- Chastidy is a downright adorable J.D. candidate at Depaul.
  
• claytonw- Clayton knows all the cool places to go in Seattle.
  
• dannyvo- Danny is the founder of Cooler Planet (Three cheers for solar panels!)
• davescrivener- Dave is an activist and VP of U of Toronto’s Students’ Union
  
• dmbosstone- Patrick is the author of The Definitive Dmbosstone.
• eclawson- Elizabeth writes Nonprofit Periscope, and is a member of the NMBA.
  
• ejenk- Evan is a PhD student in Math at The University of Chicago.
  
• emortiz- Elisa is a member of the NMBA, and author of Onward and Upward.
• ethitter- Erick is an engineer, turned accountant, turned blogger.
  
• fentonphenom- Keith just received his PhD in immunology two weeks ago!
  
• frenchashley- Ashley French is a graphic designer. Check out her blog.
• fsford- As a new J.D, Flemming is off to take on Chicago.
  
• Girldrive- Nona is the author of Girldrive, a book on redefining feminism.
  
• heatwolea- Anna works tirelessly as a production coordinator for Popsugar.
  
• HLundqvi- Hanna makes the best brisket I’ve ever tasted.
  
• iamshirley- Shirley is a copywriter and proofreader with super fun tweets.
  
• Indigo_Nights- Moving to LA? Follow Gayle. She’s an incredible resource.
• iseff- I have dragged Ian to 29 different museums in the last 24 months.
• J2XL- Jason is a software engineer at Amazon.
  
• jameselbaor- James founded KR Student Loans, and is member of NMBA.
  
• jancartier- Janice is an artist who has incredible use of color.
  
• JDilenschneider- Jack is one of two of the best brothers in the world.
  
• Jefferysmetz- Jeff is the CEO of Bloom Metz Consulting.
• JenniferHCT- Jenn is a J.D. candidate interested in white-collar crime.
  
• jjgm21- Jack is a musician who always makes me laugh.
• jlabove- Josh was one of the voices on The Magic School Bus.
• joebarnes- Joe has too much marketing experience to even summarize here.
• joyolivia- Joy is a visual communicator living around the Chicago area. 
  
• Justineedge- Justine is a super-awesome graphic designer.
  
• kimsong11- Living in LA is one hundred times more fun when you know Kim.
• korenashley- MBA and corporate social responsibility interest? That’s Koren.
  
• lameisel- Laura’s a rockin’ listener and comparative literature expert.
  
• laurao- Laura is a Ning Marketing manager twittering the tweets.
  
• laurenabele- a member of the NMBA, Lauren has an MPA and a great blog.
• Lesliehow- Leslie is the author of Leslie Writes.
  
• libathena- Libby is a public policy grad student at The University of Chicago.
• lillianeliza- Lilly knows how to dance for a good cause.
  
• LisaReyes- Lisa is a human resources rockstar.
  
• lnuccio- Loretta makes me laugh.
  
• markallan44- Mark is a law student at USC, and knows all the best clubs in LA.
  
• Mattlcostello- Matt is a writer and musician in Holland, MI.
• mcodik- Maurice is a rockstar programmer at Amazon.
• meepsters- Justyna is a Polish beauty with great fashion sense.
• meatapeach- Melissa is witty and wonderful.
• meshandlace- Amanda is an arts educator and author of Battling Art Ennui.
  
• missciciag- Caroline is passionate about theaters and arts administration.
• mitchoyoshitaka- Mitcho is a PhD in linguistics at MIT.
  
• mjdarcy- Mick is a poet warlord masquerading as a grad student at Berkeley.
  
• Mjfreelance- MJWrites is a favorite blog, and Megan is a favorite museo.
• mparad- Michele has lived in Chicago, Paris, Prague, Zurich, London, and NYC.
• Mreynaga24- Maddy is interested in advocacy for women and children.
• NISH64- Nicki’s passionate about urban education.
• okaykellen- Kellen is an improv comedian who can make anyone laugh.
  
• opheliacat- Laura is a knowledgable museo who values the life of the mind.
• PacSci- Pacific Science Center inspires interest in science, math & technology.
• ptcatatlyst- Danny makes the best fried chicken I’ve ever eaten.
• raysunisawesome- Ray has been on Jeopardy, and he is awesome.
  
• reiffe- Brian has a great band called Social Capital.
• rmccarl- Ryan is the author of the education-focused blog, Wide Awake Minds.
  
• ruthieki- Ruthie is a middle school computer science teacher in Chicago.
  
• sarachung- Sara succeeds in everything she puts her mind to.
  
• sloney- Lauren is preparing for a new adventure in NYC!
  
• slupberger- Sarah is a program coordinator at the World Resources Institute.
  
• stanorchard- Stan inspired me to join twitter.
• taramira- Anita is an econ-educated social butterfly.
• telleni- Trina’s Nonprofit Blog is a favorite, and she’s a member of NMBA.
• tessbrandon- Tess saves the world, one piece of oceanographic data at a time.
  
• ValeDeOro- Valentina offers tips to living a sustainable lifestyle in Barcelona.
• waldmae- Elin is a marketing champ.
• wenmalloy- Wendy is a great mentor in the area of public relations.
• x03- Zoe is a Seattle-based artist.
  
• _john- John is deserving of that gift card from the Brazen Careerist contest!

Thanks again to everyone for voting for this blog in the contest. And for those who didn’t vote, thanks for reading! I’m looking forward to getting to know you all even better in 2010!