07/21/2026
Today I stood at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new CTE Center in Orange, Virginia.
…..found myself thinking about how much work, perseverance, commitment, and belief it takes to turn an idea into something real and I got choked up.🥹
Groundbreakings are about more than shovels in the ground.
They represent the years of conversations, planning, advocacy, collaboration, persistence, and the decision to keep going — even when the finish line feels far away.
I am deeply grateful for the community leaders and officials who have continued to invest their time, energy, and vision into making this possible. Because when we invest in our children, we are not simply building facilities.
We are building opportunity.
We are building confidence.
We are building pathways to careers, purpose, independence, and a future that our children can see themselves in.
And for me, this is deeply personal.
For more than 20 years, advocacy has been at the heart of what I do. But long before titles, meetings, and professional roles, I have always believed in the power of showing up for young people.
Our children mean everything to me.
Guiding them. Encouraging them. Challenging them. Sometimes coaxing them forward when they don’t yet believe in themselves. Helping them recognize their own potential when they can only see their limitations.
I take that very seriously.
Because sometimes, one person believing in a child can change the trajectory of their life.
Today was a groundbreaking ceremony.
But to me, it was also a reminder of what is possible when a community refuses to give up on its children.
This is what perseverance looks like.
This is what commitment looks like.
This is what investing in the future looks like.
And I am so grateful to be part of a community that continues to show up, keep pushing forward, and build something bigger than ourselves for the next generation.
The future is being built right here in Orange County.
And I cannot wait to watch our children walk through those doors. 🤍
Proud🥹🙏🏽
