I Bought A House // I Wrote A Book // I Landed My Dream Job (...including the craziest story that you can't help but believe)

​To My Dear Friends & Family,

Please forgive me. I have been intending to write this letter to you for quite some time. I find myself wide eyed at 2:30 a.m. with a heart full of love and gratefulness and I just have to share what’s been going on in my life with you. To say God has been too good to me is a gross understatement. I wish there were words to express just how much I love him. Trying to produce those words, even now, brings me to tears. So instead, I will share with you all He has done in my life over the past two months. Get ready, as this post is sure to be a long one ;)

I have included headings, in a potentially failed attempt at making this post easy to skim.

In so many words: // I Bought A House // I Wrote A Book // I Landed My Dream Job

...and I share one of the craziest stories that you can't help but believe!

I BOUGHT A HOUSE! 

On April 25th, as a 26-year-old single-female, I closed on my very first home! It’s a lovely 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom townhome. The process of finding it was very smooth, and didn’t take long at all. I believe it is because God’s timing in all things is perfect, and I had an awesome mortgage broker and relator.

​Paige Wagner was my relator and is truly a gem of a woman. Her kindness and friendship made the whole process so smooth! She knows her stuff and if you are looking to buy a home in Lakeland, or anywhere near Lakeland, you should definitely get in touch with her and tell her I sent you! (paigewagnerhomes@gmail.com)! If you need a mortgage broker, Correa Insua is the absolute best one in town! No point in shopping around for one, she got me the absolute best interest rate and was so kind throughout the whole process! Send her an email, she is super responsive (correa@compassmortgagellc.com).

My favorite stories to tell took place during my closing! Just to preface, the amount of the paperwork I signed during my 45-minute closing was more paperwork than I have ever signed in my entire life. The stack was, no lie, 2 inches thick.
Just one of the papers had a little typo on it, and said “…Anastasia R. Jones-Downing – a married woman…” I cannot tell you the joy and pride I felt when watching that woman scribble out that phrase, and replace it with the correct one – A SINGLE WOMAN. God is so good. And a single woman buying a house is ENTIRELY POSSIBLE! All those other single women out there, you don’t have to wait for a husband to do it! Just do it!

I WROTE A BOOK!

Click Here to Buy Blog Like A Boss by Stasia Rose

​Just over one year ago I started my blog, www.stasiarose.com, and have LOVED every second of it! My blog caters to providing tips and insights from my personal experiences in business to help young professionals succeed early on in their careers!
 
Ever since I can remember, I have wanted to be an author. I would dream about writing books, and as a Kid I would take loose leaf college ruled paper from my older sister’s binders and write these elaborate stories about “cool kids” and their adventures! Humble beginnings for sure!
 
One day, a few months back, I came to a realization…I thought “Anastasia. Why are you sitting here dreaming about writing a book. Just write one.”

And so I did.
 
I am excited to announce that in the next couple of weeks, I will be releasing my very first book in the Amazon Kindle store! It is titled “Blog Like A Boss” and is packed full of advice on starting and maintaining a blog, based on my personal experiences. I get really vulnerable in there, and share the REAL story behind what propelled me to start a blog (you really don't want to miss it!)
 
I can't even count how many people have pulled me aside to ask me questions about starting a blog! Those are some of my favorite conversations! I love blogging, it is such a passion of mind and seeing the desire to start a blog in someone else’s eyes brings me all kinds of happiness and joy! And THAT is why I wrote this e-book. To help people create blogs of their very own!
 
I will keep you all updated! My book will be released toward the end of the month!  ​

I LANDED MY DREAM JOB!

​You may or may not already know that I have recently accepted a University Development Director position at YLakeland, and have fully transitioned out of my position at Southeastern University. In my new role, I will be working with the amazing team at YLakeland to launch a city-wide internship program for Lakeland! It is LITERALLY my dream job (keep reading, and I will tell you exactly how so!)
 
You may be asking yourself “Wow, a new job already? Didn’t she JUST start working at SEU?” The answers to those questions are, yes and yes!
 
Exactly one year ago (crazy how time flies), I was working in Baltimore, Maryland for a company specializing in Healthcare IT. This government contractor was a subsidiary of a multi-billion-dollar company. I had always wanted to work in corporate America, and this company allowed me to do that at a young age. I learned a lot, and was very good at what I did; however, as the years passed I felt as if I was only operating at 25% of my natural gifting’s and capacity. There was a lot going on in my personal life at that time. I felt a new season approaching, but didn’t know what that looked like. Shortly thereafter, a contact from Southeastern University reached out me about a position in the Student Development department. I knew that was the change I needed, and I welcomed the new opportunity with open arms!

Photo Credit: Victoria Bardega

Recently, I officially accepted a position at YLakeland and am honored to be serving this beautiful city as the University Development Director. YLakeland is a program run by the Lakeland Economic Development Council (LEDC), that both tells and shows college students all the reasons why Lakeland is the best place to live, learn, work and create (totally my bread and butter)!
To give an even broader overview, the LEDC is a privately owned 501c3 tasked with stimulating the economic development of Lakeland, FL. One of the largest programs they run is CATAPULT. Catapult is a think-tank for budding entrepreneurs, and is also located in Lakeland, FL! They provide resources and a super cool, creative space for entrepreneurs to grow their amazing ideas into concrete businesses! I like to say that; Catapult helps make dreams come true ;) ​

Here it is:
…THE CRAZIEST STORY THAT YOU CAN’T HELP BUT BELIEVE…

​3 years ago, while I was finishing up my final course as a Masters of Business Administration student, I asked myself “If I could do anything. Anything in the entire world…what would it be?” I thought, if I could find the answer to that question, I would be that much closer to the career I always wanted. So, I thought about this question day and night (no exaggeration) for weeks. This question consumed me. I prayed about it, I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning thinking about it. I filled notebooks with crazy ideas, until – one idea stuck and filled me with so much passion and energy I could scarcely contain it. I could not deny it – it was the one! What was that idea you ask?

To start an internship business that provided local college students with local internship opportunities in Lakeland, FL.

Summer before my senior year in college, I had the opportunity to intern in Washington, D.C. for the Department of Defense as a Program Analyst for the Pentagon Building Management Office. My time commuting to and from the Pentagon everyday, and living in our nations capital was such an unreal experience and did more for my career than education alone ever could. I wanted nothing more than to provide students with internship experiences that were as impactful as mine was. I saw a need for this in the city of Lakeland, and I was so obsessed with this idea that I immediately took steps to make it a reality!

After researching, drafting business plans, and networking – I realized that I had ZERO capital to start this business. So instead, I set out make this business plan a job position instead! I met with a few VP’s at SEU, and then I met with Steve Scruggs, & Meg Bellamy from the Lakeland Economic Development Council (LEDC) to pitch this position to them. There wasn’t any funding at the time…

THAT CONVERSATION WAS EXACTLY THREE YEARS AGO

Shortly thereafter (like 1 week after I pitched the idea to them) I received a very competitive job opportunity in Baltimore, MD. I viewed this sequence of events as God’s timing, and was only excited to see what he would do with the idea that I was sure he had given me. So I took my business plan, stuffed it in an envelope and mailed it to myself so I would always remember. I still have that envelope to this day.

FAST FORWARD THREE YEARS…(THIS IS WHERE IT GETS GOOD!)

The Lakeland Economic Development Council receives a multi-million dollar grant from a number of very generous private donors, and reaches out to me asking “Do you remember that idea you came to us with three years ago? You wanted to start an internship program for the city of Lakeland? Well, we just received the funding, and want you to create that internship program! We want to hire you to lead that project and launch that program you told us about three years ago!”

LITERALLY! I KID YOU NOT! MY MIND WAS, AND STILL IS, COMPLETELY
​ BLOWN BY THIS!

God + one dream, some hard work, and a generous amount of prayer = MY DREAM JOB!

Guys. I really can’t even wrap my mind around how blessed I am to be given the opportunity to serve my city in this way. It is a dream come true. I mean, literally, a DREAM COME TRUE.

Starting this month, I will once again get to work alongside some of the kindest, most generous and hard working people in this city – creating an internship program whose impact on college students and businesses will be so far reaching that we won’t even be able to comprehend it!

THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING!

If you know me, you will know how much I LOVE LAKELAND. I mean, I am quite literally obsessed with the city I am blessed to live and work in! In addition to all of that aforementioned God given opportunities, I have begun partnering as a consultant with team at We Are Curio a design and innovation company that helps you expand what's possible (click here to learn more about what we do)! 
​
​​The past 9 months at Southeastern University has been filled with love, laughter, learning and growing. I have been blessed to work in an environment that fosters creativity, learning, growth and development. I have been blessed to work for and with family. People who I love and will forever cherish!
 
I am excited about this new chapter. God is so good. He is truly an amazing Father and I am so honored to be His. If there is one thing I can leave you with, it is this – Your dreams. The things that keep you up at night, those ideas you have that somehow feel magical. Hold on to those. Pray about those. Meditate on those. Do a little more dreaming. Look them up and write them down. Then Lift it up to God and see what He does with them! And with you!
 
Thank you for taking the time to read this! Sorry for all the typo’s. It’s now 4:00 a.m. – I’m gunna go make waffles.
 
 
Love,

Stasia Rose