The Association for Talent Development (ATD) Julie Durmaskin Professional Education Scholarship was recently awarded to Pati Carr to attend the chapter's regional conference. We asked Pati to share her experience with us about the application process and why receiving the scholarship was important to her. Below are her words. 

Funds from the ATD Nebraska Julie Durmaskin Professional Education Scholarship are used to help active members of ATD Nebraska pursue professional education. The funds enhance careers and advance the field of workplace learning and performance, as Julie Durmaskin strived for both personally and professionally for herself, her family, and the community.

I've known the scholarship existed for a few years. I was serving on the ATD Nebraska Board of Directors when the scholarship was first announced. Even though I didn't know Julie personally, the comments and stories about her reflected a woman who was professional, giving, caring, and those who knew her truly missed her.

When the ATD Nebraska Regional Conference was announced, I knew I wanted to attend. I had an issue though - no funds available to me to register for this event.  I didn't want to lose out on the chance to learn from so many wonderful speakers and to network with other professionals in the industry, so I decided to take a chance and apply for the scholarship. It was so easy to apply.  All I had to do is answer a few questions and submit the form and I was done. Within two weeks, the scholarship had been granted. I feel honored to be a recipient of this gift in Julie Durmaskin's name.

I highly recommend anyone apply for scholarship dollars with ATD Nebraska. It's easy and fast and gives you a chance to attend a workshop or conference when you might not have the opportunity otherwise.  I am so thankful for ATD Nebraska providing this scholarship and for the opportunity it has opened up for me.  Granting scholarship money is such an outstanding way to honor an individual who meant so much to the chapter and to allow someone else a chance to continue to learn and grow in their field.

The Association for Talent Development (ATD) Julie Durmaskin Professional Education Scholarship was recently awarded to Amy Fauth for professional coaching training. We asked Amy to share more with us about how she will use the scholarship.

What is professional coaching?

The International Coach Federation (ICF) defines professional coaching as “a partnership with a client(s) in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential”. Professional coaching is not giving advice, counseling, or performance management; instead it is honoring the client as the expert of their life to develop solutions and strategies with a growth mindset. Working with a client involves a series of questions, tools, and goals discovered during the coaching relationship. Essentially, professional coaching is taking the client from where they are today to where they want to be tomorrow and beyond - through their own solutions.

How coaching is applied in corporate America and how it helped me:

Coaching in the corporate world can increase personal awareness, communication, performance, self-confidence, team building, and work relationships. Coaching is most beneficial for employees who have seen success in the past but may have lost motivation, need help with time management, or are looking to tackle mental blocks or nagging fears or thoughts to move to their next level.

Since beginning my program with iPEC I have gained a higher level of awareness; the program has helped me to take a step back during stressful times both at work and my personal life to evaluate how I can engage, react (or don’t!), and how best to move forward. And when all else fails, I have the support of my vast repository of resources, tools, and peer coaches within reach.

Through this course of training I have enhanced my vision toward abundance thinking, increased my “what’s possible” mindset, learned how to hear what may not always be said, and listen with non-judgement. Becoming a certified professional coach though iPEC has been an intense journey – much like talent development it is a never ending growth process.

Ultimately, professional coaching can inspire growth, development, and increased awareness as long as the client lets the coach take them there. You will find the most robust coaching programs are accredited through the ICF (like iPEC!), are solutions focused, and have a valid and reliable process.