Hello NFED Family!
My name is Rachel Dahler, from Cleveland, Ohio, and I am a 22 year old with HED. The NFED has been a huge part of my life since I was 6. That is when I attended my very first conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Since then, I have been to close to 10 conferences and loved every second of each! The annual family conferences through the NFED have always been and still are, “my favorite part of the year.” I went regularly with my parents when I was young, but once I got to high school and college age, I stopped attending the conferences. I am thrilled to have a chance to go to this conference here in a couple of weeks, for the first time in 5 years!
The last conference I went to was right before my senior year of high school and now I am a college graduate with a degree in Event Planning from Ohio University! 🙂
I just wanted to have the chance to share a little more about myself for those of you who are maybe not so familiar with me. I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation for this wonderful foundation that has done so very much for my family and I as well as my personal growth and confidence. Throughout my time at the conference this year and for many years to come, I hope to be able to lend some guidance to those younger than me. To tell them of my hardships I have and still endure in my life, with the ultimate triumph at the end – being happy with yourself. I have gotten so much out of these family conferences and chances to interact with ‘my people’ as I call the NFED family, that it is my turn to play the role model and be there to comfort those who are in the exact same position I was in just a few years prior.
I cannot even tell you how excited I am to attend this conference here in a few weeks in St. Louis. I hope to see all of you there, enjoying yourselves, making new friends and rekindling old connections, but most importantly, being yourself and feeling as though you are good enough – because you all are! 🙂
See you all SUPER soon!
~Rachel Dahler