DVC Alumni: Where Every Story Inspires the Next!

Uncovering the Power of Alpha Beta Gamma with Aitana Sahni

August 28, 2024 • Charley • Season 1 • Episode 1

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Can you imagine leaving high school early, earning a GED, and then becoming a pivotal leader at your college? That's exactly what Aitana, a second-year student at Diablo Valley College (DVC), has done. In this episode, she opens up about her unique educational journey, from San Ramon Valley High School to the supportive and inspiring environment of DVC. Aitana attributes her drive to the values instilled by her Californian upbringing and her immigrant parents' work ethic, all of which have shaped her path to success. 

Our conversation with Aitana dives into the transformative power of Alpha Beta Gamma, the business honor society that has played a crucial role in her academic growth and transfer ambitions. We discuss the invaluable resources Alpha Beta Gamma offers and how it has guided her towards a potential future at UC Berkeley and a career in law and public service. Aitana also shares how role models like Kamala Harris have inspired her to carve out her own unique path while staying true to her values and aspirations.

We wrap up our episode with a compelling discussion on self-development and the dynamics between generations. Aitana reveals how she's turned perceived personal flaws into strengths, using them as powerful tools for advocacy. We also touch on the confidence and technological savvy of the younger generation, their self-doubt, and the enthusiasm they bring to innovation. Lastly, we introduce our new series spotlighting DVC clubs, where we aim to highlight the incredible efforts and stories within the DVC community. Join us for an inspiring journey filled with insights, aspirations, and the promise of great things to come.

Thank you for tuning in. If you enjoyed today’s conversation, please subscribe, rate, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Your feedback helps us bring you more inspiring stories from the DVC community.

Stay connected with us on social media for updates, behind-the-scenes content, and upcoming episodes. Have a story to share or a topic you’d like us to cover? Reach out—we’d love to hear from you!

Until next time, keep pushing boundaries, embracing connections, and navigating your own path to success.

DVC Alumni: Where every story inspires the next.

Charley:

Okay, so we're going, so introduce yourself.

Aitana:

My name is Aitana. I am a second year student at Diablo Valley College and I'm the president of Alpha Beta Gamma, the vice president of Phi Theta Kappa, both of which are sister clubs, honor societies at San Ramon campus, and summer was my first time on Pleasant Hill campus, so I feel like I'm really delving into the DVC experience off of the satellite campus and really onto where everything started and the big campus where everyone is, so it's really exciting.

Charley:

That is exciting. So, as you know, this is the 70, or, you may not know, this is the 75th anniversary of Diablo Valley College starting this session. So, yeah, it's been around longer than I have, which is a long time. So, yeah, it started off a couple of little huts and eventually came here after a couple of years and it was originally the East County Community College. So it was East Contra Costa, I think, is what it was, because this was as far east as they thought that east was. So talk a little bit about so where you, you know, came from, like you know you're growing up, your high school, and how you ended up here as opposed to somewhere else.

Aitana:

I am a California native, born and raised, and I think that really informs who I am and my identity, because California is so diverse and so rich in both culture and people, in races and religion and ideologies, and it was the birthplace of so many cultural revolutions.

Aitana:

And so I think that as a person I've been so influenced by California and how I think and my worldview that is so open not saying that people from other places won't be open but their openness and their worldview and the lens through which they view everything and perceive everything is slightly different. So being a California native is very much a part and very central to my identity. But my parents are not California natives. They immigrated here in their early 20s from India, and so that too has influenced me, because their work ethic and how they came here and their American dream essentially has been absolutely central to the development of my own work ethic and who I am and how I value my education and every decision I make every day, because I know that they came here for the betterment of their own life and because they believed fervently in something better for themselves, and so I share that with them and that influences me as well.

Charley:

Cool. So you grew up here in the Bay Area, so where did you go to high school at?

Aitana:

I went to high school at San Ram Valley High School. So go Wolves in Danville, California.

Charley:

And what was that experience like for you?

Aitana:

I enjoyed the high school experience, but only to some extent, because I think that, at the end of the day, that it is universal within all high schools that people are easily impressionable, and also because they're growing and it's such a vulnerable time in their life. Vulnerable, sorry people tend to drift towards becoming super homogenized. We all consume the same media because we are told that we all should, and so we all follow the trends and believe in the same ideologies, or we're told that we should, and I think it silences diversity, because if you are different, you are singled out, and so for me, that was actually central to why I decided to take my GED and just get out. So I didn't have a junior and high school year and I actually began DVC then, so that I mean I can't say I hated high school. I had so many great memories and great friends, friendships that I still participate in, that are active today. But I think that DVC was just I didn't finish high school because I knew there was something really better at DVC.

Charley:

Okay, You're actually not the first person I've talked to this month that has the similar story. She's actually doing molecular biology over at Berkeley now, so it's again it's like one of those things where she wanted to accelerate her experience to get into the world. So, you took your GED and you came to. You're now second year at DVC. Okay, and how did you feel? Was that transition from? You know, obviously you left high school early and then you decided you went to the San Raul campus and now you're here. What's that transition been like?

Aitana:

It's been very smooth and I have to credit that to the DVC administration, the counselors, the people, admissions and records.

Aitana:

They were all very understanding about how, first, when age was a bit of a barrier, and then, with just having your GED instead of an official high school diploma, everything like that were the little stones.

Aitana:

It was incredible because the professors are so, so knowledgeable and so passionate about what they know and they really just want to pass on that passion and they really truly believe in every student.

Aitana:

And this is where I think a lot of people get it wrong that, oh, professors are very distant, whereas high school teachers, you know they are there to really connect with you and know your name. And I actually think that professors don't always make it their priority to tell students when to get things done and be responsible for them, because they believe that we can do that for ourselves and because they believe that we know what's best for us. And so when I came to DVC, we were treated like adults, because we all were and we were expected to be mature and be responsible for ourselves, which I think helped me mature and accelerated the maturity of so many other people who were fresh out of high school or even just coming back to school, and I actually think that is a really key part of why we are so successful as DVC students is because our professors believe in us, because they're passionate and truly because the education depends on us to participate and not for us to respond to being asked to participate.

Charley:

Oh, okay, I was going to say they treat you like adults and expect you to behave like adults and, as a result, you either do that or make it, or don't do that and don't make it, which, yeah, it probably can be a bit of a culture shock for some people.

Aitana:

Yeah, especially coming out of high school.

Charley:

Exactly so. Now you're involved with a number of clubs, so talk a little bit about that. Like, like you know, you have it seems like a dozen clubs, but that's probably an exaggeration on my part. But go ahead and talk a little bit about, like, the passion that you've got, what you, what got you into the clubs, what each club is involved with and what they do and what they bring for you.

Aitana:

I got involved with Alpha Beta Gamma because at SRC one day, right out of bio, I was walking with my friend to the cafe and there was a club tabling there and it was Alpha Beta Gamma, a business honor society, and I didn't think this sounded super pretentious or anything. I saw their sign and I saw the two girls women who were. I saw their sign and I saw the two girls women who were tabling there and I just felt inspired. They were both Indian American women and they were leading this business honor society and they had marketed it as more than just a club but as a forum for the exchange of ideas, for personal growth but also professional growth, and I was so attracted to that that I immediately signed up and I have never missed a meeting since my birthday was on an Alpha Beta Gamma meeting last semester.

Charley:

So they brought you cake.

Aitana:

So no, they didn't know because I didn't tell them. I was just too engrossed in the meeting.

Charley:

Okay, but so you started off, you were interested in them tabling and now you're the president of the chapter. So what was that process like? How did you end up? My experience with being president of stuff is usually I went to the bathroom or something and came back and now guess what you are. I don't imagine that they do things like that for your club.

Aitana:

No, actually. So I had been a member of the club for a year and then, when the current, the former administration had graduated and they were going to transfer and do go off into the world, they announced that the presidency was now a vacant position. And I knew that I had the experience to be a part of that, that I had the relationship with the former president, that she could mentor me and that I could fulfill this role to the best of my abilities. And I walked into that induction ceremony dressed up and with my speech and a presentation, and I knew how to connect with my audience because I had been a member and I think my experience I wasn't just jumping into this, I had been a part of this and so my investment was already there never missed a meeting, and so I was invested and I was able to demonstrate that and I was elected and those who ran against me were very respectful and we had a mutual respect. We both respected each other's leadership and they are also part of Alpha Beta Gamma's administration as secretary and treasurer.

Charley:

So I oh it just no you could say it out loud A lot of the stuff. Well, it was about your journey to get to be president, because I think it's very interesting, because most people don't just show up and then all of a sudden they're president.

Aitana:

Yeah, so actually that happened. There were candidates who did just show up, but I truly think it's because they want to be a part of something so bad, and I understand that and I think that is excellent. I think that drives people and which is why they're involved now in our current administration. But I just I came to be president because I knew I could lead, and that's something that's been with me for a long time, and maybe it's because I'm the eldest of four yeah, probably that as well, and I'm invested in that club as well. I have my ideas and I know how to pitch them, so we're going to up and running.

Charley:

So we'll get to PTK in a moment, but it sounds like to some degree and this is this is something that I believe very firmly and and this is really for me what the alumni association is about connection. Everybody wants to be connected, and I don't mean just by like you know who you have on LinkedIn, but it's like this. You know what we're doing is. That is that interpersonal. It's like, hey, listening, being respectful, but just that that feeling connected to something and belonging to something. Would you say that that's about kind of what you're feeling on it.

Aitana:

Absolutely, because without Alpha Beta Gamma in the first place, I wouldn't have been connected to so many people and so many amazing speakers and connected to people with ideas and then getting connected to those ideas, being able to absorb them and to you know, filter and think for ourselves. I really think that connection is the catalyst for the exchange of new ideas for the development of ourselves and each other, and so I absolutely agree and I think that DVC clubs really foster and create that connection.

Charley:

We're going to print that up and put it up above the club, so that sounds great to me. We'll give you credit on it. So, ptk, tell me what that is.

Aitana:

Phi Beta Kappa is an international honor society and dedicated to two-year colleges and the excellence of students in two-year college, as well as scholarships. Organization provides scholarships and opportunities through partnerships that they have with various businesses, corporations, NGOs, etc. And I joined PTK because it marketed itself which, as it is, as an institution that helped students understand the community college path and transferring, and in the meetings that I would attend they would really provide so much information on transferring on the journey. They would invite the DVC admin to come in counselors as well, and so I found this. This was different from AVG. This wasn't an exchange of ideas. This wasn't specialized into business and finance and careers within business. This was about fostering the growth of students and this was about their journey, and so PTK was really so much more of a resource for me that when I decided to join PTK's administration, it was because I wanted to give back in the same way to other students.

Charley:

Okay, you're good at this, we'll have to have you do this more often. Well, no, I'm actually envisioning to some degree having you come on a semi-regular basis and just talk about it, and we can do a series of articles and stuff like that, and hopefully we end up with a series of podcasts that we can put out there, because I think it'd be right. I think you're very good at this, by the way.

Aitana:

Thank you. I have so many people who I'd love to invite, for you to invite.

Charley:

Well, no, absolutely, let's start coordinating that, because I think it'd be very interesting and I think I told you it's like my thing is I love your story. I mean, I know my story and it's boring. I love your story because it shows great ambition and great vision and well, okay, so to that very point is like your second year, right? You know, it's like you probably have. You're probably one of these people, unlike me, where you have you're kind of looking at your trajectory and you're pretty sure it's going to go this way. And I would be willing to bet, I'm going to bet that you probably are that person, that your trajectory is going to be this and then it's going to be this, and then it's going to be that, and there'll be a slight detour and you'll go, ah, you know, and you'll take that and just wrestle to the ground and you know and make it happen and tell me what you see that path being.

Aitana:

What does that look like? I have very big ambitions, but I see myself transferring to Berkeley. I applied this season and then just studying there and really immersing myself in the history and the culture which is so, so rich. I mean, every revolution, scientific discoveries, everything happened at Berkeley, and so I'm so, so grateful to even be able to apply there with a decent chance of getting in. And then from there, I do see myself going to law school.

Aitana:

I think that that is the right path for me to be able to commit myself to public service in the way that I think is best, to be able to interpret the law and know the law, which I think. I think enforcing the law is crucial to even having a law, of course, but I think that we need to create laws that protect all people and protect our values and ideas as Americans, and that is so central to my trajectory, going back to my parents' story with the American dream and going back to, you know, being just a California native, seeing the diversity and seeing the exchange of beliefs and ideas in such a civil manner. I think that we need to protect that and we need to protect those American ideals. And so I see myself doing something in government, something, hopefully, in elected office, because I think that's a great way to be an influence for good and make change, and that's kind of my trajectory.

Charley:

Wow, who knows, maybe you'll end up. I mean, kamala Harris is running for president. Let's you know we can hope for the best. You'll end up. I mean, kamala Harris is running for president, let's you know we can hope for the best. You know, the election is always off, but I feel very inspired by her running and I look at that as a wonderful place for the United States to catch up to kind of the rest of the civilized world on things like that. I'm going to stop now because otherwise I get on a rant about that.

Aitana:

Well, I have to agree with you, because I remember being in eighth grade and this was during online learning, and that was when the Biden-Harris presidency was well, the candidacy was first announced, and I do remember my eighth grade history teacher and I remember her saying well, now to me specifically, you have someone to look up to. And I remember being a little bit rebellious and thinking I'm going to carve my own path, which I know that I will, because everyone is different. But I now really am also so inspired by the fact that she's been able to do so much in California, which connects back to us being Californians. But I think it's so important for us to be inspired by other people's stories but, at the same time, know that we are going to carve out our own paths in the world and every step that we take it's going to be meaningful to a greater degree, to more people than just ourselves.

Charley:

Okay, Well, I'm getting way more out of this than I think you are, but well, no, and actually that's the reason that we gather these stories is because it's like our tagline is DVC alumni, where every story inspires the next. And you know, my hope is that your story becomes a story where we can go, hey, 10 years or 20 years from now. It's like this is a DVC alumni, she came through and she's senator or you know whatever, or congresswoman or you know something, or president of the United States, and it's like, yes, she started here at DVC, you know, she started her path. So what would you, what would you say to somebody who's maybe trying to decide on a path? Or I mean, what kind of? What would you say to maybe a younger you? Or? Well, actually you strike me as a type that always had that kind of fire in the belly that it's like I'm going to go out and conquer the world.

Aitana:

I did. I could tell you stories about that, yeah.

Charley:

Well, and I don't doubt that, you know, it's like you come across as that person that's very visionary, and so what?

Aitana:

would you say to this person that maybe isn't quite there yet? I mean, what would you tell them? I think that there is something within everyone because of how everyone is raised and everyone's unique perspective that find what you love about yourself and then find what you want to change in the world and use what you love about yourself to affect that change in the world. And I think that comes from a Mahatma Gandhi quote, which is be the change that you want to see in the world. But I think I would take that and interpret that to a person that is a little bit less confident in themselves and their skills. Find your skill. Everyone has something, and that something doesn't have to be a fully developed skill. That is like everyone knows this about me.

Aitana:

I'm awesome at this one thing. What do you want to be awesome at? There could be numerous things, but what is the central value that you hold that motivates you to become better at something? Or know that you are really good at something and just keep getting better at that and as you get better, find something that you want to also see made better, changed for the better, influenced for the better, and use that skill that you are working on and that you know that you have and go out and do it. So I can.

Aitana:

As you said, I'm very ambitious and so, instead of using that purely for my own career trajectory, I would like to use that, and I hope to use that, so that I can inspire others to pursue the careers that they need Good for our economy. I'm an econ, I'm an econ major. That's the way I think. But you know, for their, for their families, for their future, for their friends, just keep on inspiring, and that fire within is going to help people to believe so much in themselves and to hone in on their own skills and make their own change in the world.

Charley:

I couldn't agree more, so we're going to take a slightly different tack now. Um, cause, one of the things I believe in is, I think, failure is it, it's going to happen. Um, I have a whole story about when I was a kid. I got a unicycle and found out they're really hard to ride. Um, my wife made me promise never to get one again. But, um, but it's about learning, deal with failure and, if you would like, I'd love to hear about failures that you've had and how you've dealt with them.

Aitana:

Yeah.

Charley:

That can be a tough one, I know, but I think learning failure and dealing with it and how you use that to rise above is oftentimes very inspiring.

Aitana:

I think that there hasn't been one singular, huge failure that's happened. I mean there have been many, but I think it's the little things that I know that I'm not alone in that. I'll give you an example. So I just sent out my first alpha beta gamma mass email and I didn't BCC everybody so people could see who else has joined, and a great person who was advising me let me know that oh, you should have done that and I knew I should have and I really felt that I should have, and I was so grateful for his constructive feedback and for letting me know, because I know that's how I get better and so so many people would say that's a success.

Aitana:

But all night and to today it haunted me as, oh my gosh, I made my first, second, third, fourth mistake as president. And how am I supposed to do this? This is making me seem incompetent to the rest of the administration. I have to be their leader and I have to support and inspire them by, of course, owning up to my mistakes but then again, not making that many, so that you know, these little failures I have to actively work on not letting myself really, you know, go down that path of I'm actually I'm incompetent.

Charley:

Well, and that's what I want to talk about, because everybody has this. I know I do it and I've learned to deal with it, but I'm also, you know, three times older than you and I've made way more, but it's again. How do you do that? How do you pull yourself? Cause? It's like, usually probably the minute it was pointed out, you went, you know, and it's just panic tears, you know whatever it is, but it's like, how do you pull yourself out of that? You know, and that's kind of what cause? Cause obviously you have great aspirations, and so you've already figured out a way to deal with that. But talk a little bit about that.

Aitana:

I think being honest with myself has been the best way to pull myself out. I don't, when I reflect back on that mistake, I don't make an excuse for it, like, okay, well, I was tired, I had a lot of on my plate blah, blah, blah. We, as humans, we tend to do that. Had a lot of on my plate, blah, blah, blah. We, as humans, we tend to do that. We tend to excuse the mistakes of ourselves and the people that we love because we think that we can only be loved and be lovable and love others if they have so few mistakes, so few flaws.

Aitana:

But I have to be honest with myself and say I did make that mistake and I'm going to continue to make mistakes and that's part of the human experience and that's how I get back up is just being very honest with myself that yes, it happened and I can't change it and I've got to move on and I've got to make myself, you know, believe that I can be better and I know that I can be better, but at the same time, I'm not going to expect perfection and I'm not going to expect it from the people around me either, and I'm not going to expect that they expect that from me 24-7. So I think honesty is the very real center of how I pull myself back up.

Charley:

That's amazing. Well, I'm a big fan of baseball and part of the reason is because it's a game of failure and if you fail 60% of the time at the plate. The last guy to do that was Ted Williams and he's in the hall of fame.

Aitana:

Oh, wow.

Charley:

So, yeah, and it's always like, I mean, and it's like Barry Bonds, you know he failed over 60% of the time and he would go other than, you know, some controversy, but these are the people that we idolize. Of these people that fail 60 to 70 percent of the time when they're batting, and we idolize them because we consider them to be great batters even though they fail most of the time. And that's like. You know, how do you deal with that and that's the thing you know. So you have a very mature approach. I I'm a very wise approach.

Charley:

I want to say thank you um, so, uh, what other like words of wisdom would you like to pass along, or things that you think that somebody else, maybe coming along behind you, might be aware of or should think about, at least?

Aitana:

I think this is really trending right now, which is why I'm hesitant to say it.

Aitana:

But self-development Relying a lot on what you think about yourself is not going to be as constructive as relying on what the people around you and who have observed you, how they perceive you, and those faults that you think are your flaws, turn them into strengths.

Aitana:

So I can give you an example of a lot of people in high school used to say that I'm mean because I can be very blunt and because I can be very aggressive in getting what I want, and because I can be very aggressive in getting what I want.

Aitana:

But the maturity part of this is taking that what people would call a flaw, turn it into a positive about yourself. So I had to learn to harness that aggression, that meanness, to be able to use it when it's necessary, to be able to use it when it's necessary, to be able to use it when I'm fighting for others, to be able to use it when I'm fighting against bigotry, racism, sexism, etc. And be able to narrow it down into not just blunt, straight, being mean, but to be able to make it poignant, to be able to use it and use it wisely. And so I think that I would just offer that self-development is a lot more about analyzing yourself, figuring out what your quote flaws are and turning those into your strengths. You don't have to change yourself. Those flaws came from how you grew up, from your development psychology 101. So don't work on removing those out of your system, but just use on harnessing that for something greater to achieve your goals, what you want to do.

Charley:

Self-development has been around since at least the 70s, so it's like, yeah, oh awesome, awesome.

Aitana:

I think it's becoming less stigmatized, which is great.

Charley:

Yes.

Aitana:

But I think less people are talking about, instead of just, you know, becoming this perfect person by erasing your flaws, just use them to your advantage, almost.

Charley:

Well, that shows, in my opinion, a great deal of wisdom. The other part of it too, I think, is where you know the 70s was I'm okay, you're okay, and it was a lot of pretty vapid stuff and it's over time it's been kind of winnowed down to stuff with through, and some of it has been through good research. As far as this works, that does not, but there's still plenty of people out there that you know if you just think positive things, it'll happen and it's magic and stuff like that. So what would you say? Let's shift gears a little bit. What would you say to like somebody like older, here running the school or maybe out in the world, and here you come, right, you know, hands on hips and you're going to go conquer the world. What would be some of the things that you'd want them to know about you, and maybe you know your generation, that they should you know, understand as you're coming along?

Aitana:

I think that this is so prominent within every generation that the younger generation we feel so powerful in our voices and sometimes, because we're told that we're young and dumb, we are rebellious and we have this fire that sometimes blasts into the extremes. So what I would say to you know, the wiser generation.

Charley:

Older We'll just go with older, okay.

Aitana:

Recognize our strengths, which I think so many people do. We're great with technology.

Charley:

True.

Aitana:

But know that we are capable, but know that sometimes we don't know that we can be overconfident.

Aitana:

But I think underlying that and I attribute this to some extent to social media that we can be overconfident, but under that is sometimes a lot of self doubt.

Aitana:

And so just to know that, when taking us in to do a project or something, know that we are capable but we don't know that, and at the same time, we know that we're capable but we don't know that sometimes we're not, and there's those strengths and those weaknesses that come with the world we're living in. It's going to be way harder for us to look something up in a dictionary than it will be for you, and it's going to be a lot easier for us to navigate Google than it will be for you. And so those little strengths and those weaknesses yeah, it's about capability and knowing that we have a lot, and then we have some of that overconfidence and then we have a good mix of that self-doubt and just we need to learn how to navigate that and we're not the best at it yet. And so coming in the way, um, that we are communicated to and how we communicate stems a lot from that I absolutely agree.

Charley:

Um, I think of it and, uh, think of it like this is is Jeff Bezos wasn't wise enough or old enough to know that what he could do, what he did with Amazon, couldn't be done, because at the time everyone said it can't be done. Same thing with Bill Gates, same thing with you know, and there's a lot of, there's an endless supply of things where it's just like no, this is never going to be a thing. You just don't know. Talk to us older, smarter people and they just were too stubborn to know that it couldn't be done. And, as a result, you know and that's where I always love people that are, you know, not bright enough to know it can't be done, or not old enough to know it can't be done Because oftentimes they bring the energy and just beat it into submission anyways. It can't be done because oftentimes they bring the energy and just beat it into submission anyways and it becomes a thing regardless.

Charley:

And there was a few people that when I was a chamber guy that did that, they just they had this idea and I'd sit down with them. I said I think that's the worst idea ever. It'll never work. So let's see, let's look at how we're going to get this done and that was always my attitude was it'll you know the same thing with the Alumni Association was it's never been done at this college. They've tried six times. This is the seventh attempt in the 50 years. And here we are. We're succeeding now. It's just because we're too stupid to know it can't be done.

Aitana:

Well, I actually think that brings up a great point, because you know, we all have this where things are done a certain way and if they can't be done that certain way, they just can't be done, period. But um and I so often fall into that line of thinking that, oh well, this person's missing a, b and c, so it's never going to happen for them. Good luck, they're kind of screwed, but, um, but I really do admire people who say, well, I'm going to get a, b and c or I'm going to find a way to do it without A, b and C, and they just, like you said, beat it into submission, they get on and they do it. And I think their passion is so admirable and the fact that they're so innovative in figuring out how they're going to get things done in the face of doubt from everyone around them and also in the face of people not just doubting their idea and how they can get it done, but they're doubting them as a person. And so I think when they hold on to their vision and their idea and it takes sometimes years for them to just get it across and, you know, do it by themselves, that is that's extremely admirable and that's I mean.

Aitana:

Those are the entrepreneurs of the world. Those are the people who, like you said, are now the Jeff Bezos and the you know, bill Gates of the world. They're the people who, in the face of no, said yes and they just found a way to do it, with or without the help and support of others Absolutely, Absolutely and actually.

Aitana:

I see you as one of those people, because you seem to have that drive of no, no, we're going to make this and and being visionary enough to do that. Anything else you want to add in there a very generic closing, but I know so many people who have guided me and who have such amazing and inspirational stories and who know so much I wouldn't be here. Can I give a shout out?

Charley:

Absolutely.

Aitana:

I wouldn't be here today without my fantastic Alpha Beta Gamma team, because they share my vision and they enrich it so much with their own vision, with their own ideas and perspectives and life story and journey and work experiences, so I wouldn't be there without them. But I also wouldn't be here without, of course, my parents, my family. But there is someone I wanted to give a shout out to. His name is Aaron Shea. He was the president of the Crochet Club and he's now the Crochet Club.

Charley:

Ok, ok.

Aitana:

And he's been here for a long time and he is so, so knowledgeable about ICC and the clubs and the way that DVC works and he has been such a resource and just a pool of information in letting me know the phenomenon and how things work and getting your clubs up and how things tend to go and the stories of. He knows more about Alpha, beta, gamma and the history of.

Charley:

Alpha Beta.

Aitana:

Gamma at DVC than I do, and I'm going to go meet him after this and he's just fantastic, so I would like to give a shout out to him.

Charley:

I love it and I would love to get connected with him and do this with him is find out some more. So, yes, and I would encourage anybody that you think would be a fun interview. Let's put our heads together and let's get them over here, because we want to put a lot of stuff in the can. I want it to be about DVC, and we're starting with the clubs, because you're the first one I sat down with, so guess what You're also, I think is a really good start. It's going to be hard for everybody else to live up to that standard.

Aitana:

I think they'll be able to do it.

Charley:

Well, we'll figure it out and so. So, again, we're going to turn the first one into a LinkedIn article, and and then, if we can get enough of these in in the can, what we're going to do is turn this into just like a series of audio recordings, like out on YouTube or something like that. We haven't quite figured that out, but we're really excited. So, um, uh, so yes, and again, thank you so much for being number one.

Aitana:

Well, thank you, charles, I would not be here without you.

Charley:

Okay, let's turn this off.