Lindsey Fritz’s Post

From a whiteboard in my room to a billboard in Times Square… MSK 2 MTK has launched 🚀 Six months in the making and here we are — a team, logo, website, brand supporters, community events, and most importantly, a goal. On May 9, my friend Zoe Schaap and I will be running 123 miles from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to the Montauk Point Lighthouse to raise money for cancer research at MSK. To make this initiative even more meaningful, we would love your help! Whether you want to join our team, offer your company’s support, run with us along the route, dedicate a mile to someone, or donate to our fundraiser directly, check out our website (https://msk2mtk.run/) to learn more and get involved today. 

A few weeks ago, I turned 23 and finished the biggest project of my career so far as part of the IBMer Global Communications team. Yesterday, I finished a European adventure with a few of my colleagues who are now some of my best friends. Today, I started a new role on the IBM Influence & Advocacy team. If there is anything that sums up the past year and a half of my time at IBM, it is everything I said about the past few weeks — the people, the experiences and the mindset of jumping into anything, and often learning as I go. I woke up this morning feeling rejuvenated from my European adventure but most importantly like a #ProudIBMer. Although my first role focused on internal communications and my new role focuses on external communications, I see many parallels between the two roles and am excited to connect my work across both teams. A special thanks to everyone who has taken me under their wing and shown me the way over the past year and a half. From the leader of the IBMer Communications dream team Kirsten Fowles Graham, to my direct team Lauren Beitler, Noel Burke, Fiona Doherty, Caitlin Duggan, Ingrid Lysičanová, Tamarra Thal, to the people I worked closely with on my last project Jessica Peterson (Sharkey), Jaimie Herr (Angerami), Anthony Colucci, Dominick Fryer, Tara Boldrin, and to my MCC Newsletter family Melissa Bandstra, Colleen Burns, Frank Scattaretico, I appreciate everything all of you have taught me along this journey. And now we see where the next adventure takes us! Here we go Kirsten Berg, Lindsey Barrett, Ryan Bares, Brandi Boatner, Naja Mcdonald, Aminah Plock! #IBM #newjob #nextchapter #whatinspiresme #growth

Last Sunday, in the most Lindsey manner possible, I woke up with an idea to run 100 miles in under 100 hours. Did I have any sort of plan? No. Did I see an ad for this on the subway? No. Is this even a thing? I’m not sure. What I did know was that I wanted to make the idea happen THIS week. So, I immediately messaged my manager Lauren Beitler and asked her if she would be alright with me running 4 miles every 4 hours (imagine opening Slack to that notification). I planned my running schedule down to a science so that I wouldn’t miss any meetings. Thankfully, Lauren understands my spontaneous self and supported the idea. At 5 p.m. on Wednesday night, I began my journey of running 4 miles every 4 hours until I reach 100 miles. Currently, I have run 52 miles and will be continuing my journey until Sunday night. On top of setting a new goal for myself, the real reason I am attempting to run 100 miles in under 100 hours is to raise money for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. I believe that most of you reading this have probably been affected by cancer whether personally or through an immediate family member, friend, co-worker, classmate, or teammate. Knowing people that have been treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and having visited the Center myself, I hope to use my passion for running with the help of my community to support MSK's efforts. If you would like to learn more about why I am doing this challenge, you can check out the link in the comments. #100miles100hours #community #grateful #motivation #running

This post is for my 17 year-old self, who checked her email every day hoping to receive an acceptance letter from Fordham University. This post is for the high schooler who didn’t have the best GPA or SAT scores, but refused to let that stop her. This post is for anyone who has been told that they can’t do something, but knows that they can.  This weekend, I graduated cum laude from my dream school, Fordham University, with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Culture and a minor in Marketing. Although I finished classes a semester early in December, walking across the stage alongside my best friends was a special way to close out this chapter of my life.  I also was honored to have my effort to make the most of every moment recognized through the Fordham College at Lincoln Center Alumni Chair Award. While it may look like any other chair, to me it represents the university I poured my heart and soul into for the past 3.5 years. It will also serve to remind me the importance of taking a moment to reflect on all I have achieved, without losing my tenacity for the next opportunity.  Fordham took a chance when they accepted me on December 15, 2017, and I knew that I was going to work as hard as possible to invest in myself and pursue every resource. I have applied this mentality to my current role at IBM, and it has allowed me to do things that I never thought I would be doing at 21-years-old. In addition to continuing my personal career, I cannot wait to invest back into the Fordham community through my role on the Fordham Alumni Board. Once a Ram, always a Ram! #classof2022 #fordhamuniversity #gorams #undergraduate #bachelorsdegree #ibm #grateful

Ever since I was a little kid, I have written down my goals. Some goals pertain to a single day and some pertain to the rest of my life. I recently found a notebook from freshman year of high school where I vowed that I would get into Fordham University. Here I am today, eating, sleeping and breathing Fordham. When my internship at IBM ended in August, I began writing down that I would receive a full-time offer. I wrote this down just about everywhere; on my notebooks, my windows, and my phone notes. After a summer of growth, inspiration, and continued manifesting, I received a call from one of my IBM mentors Roseanne Romero, who spoke the words I had been writing down day in and day out. Without hesitation, I happily accepted the offer, and I look forward to starting full-time with IBM after I graduate in December. Until then, I will continue to express my passion for IBM as a Campus Ambassador through an interactive program created by Stephanie Benavides. Over the next few months, I will be sharing my internship journey in hopes to inspire others to manifest theirs. I will be meeting with current Fordham Rams and students from other universities to help turn their IBM dreams into a reality. I can’t wait to reunite with all of the IBMers that made my internship experience this summer what it was and who have supported me throughout these next steps in my career. From my Internship Project Managers Brandie Brooks and Patricia Felizetti, to some of my biggest inspirations in communications and marketing Jonathan Adashek, Kirsten Fowles Graham, Jon Birdsall, Sarah Bruning Meron, Kirsten Berg, Brandi Boatner, Laura Storey, Jennifer Hendrie, Alicia Brandon, Irina Yakubenko, Ellie Hartman, Colleen Burns, Nancy Ngo, Lisa Wearing, Ashley Cureton, Whitney Baker, Wendy Warnecke, Spencer Barnardo, to my family, friends, and “Life Board of Directors,” Gina Vergel, Logan West, M.S., Michelle Peluso, Bryn Brockman, John Hartman, Laura Auricchio, Patricia Peek, Chloe Sigillito, Joseph Brady Desciak, PhD, Jeffrey L Gray, Matthew L., Xurxo Riesco Pérez, Ryan Boloix, Laurie Witkowski, Marla Buono, Kealy Hartman, Mary-Clare Wamester, and Marie C. Kalita, I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am today without each of you. At 21 years-old, I am ready to finish strong with my undergraduate journey and begin my future at a company that is positively impacting the world on a daily basis. Today’s the day to write your goals down, manifest them and make them happen! If you are interested in learning more about IBM's early professional programs, take a look at this link: https://lnkd.in/dy6CUZ2w. #IBM #communicationsinternship #marketinginternship #fulltime #future #manifestyourdreams #grateful

Yesterday, a new freshman came up to me and asked, “How do I love Fordham as much as you do?” To me, loving Fordham has never been a thought. It has been instinctual since the day I applied. However, hearing that question made me realize how much I really do love the school and the people. It was just three years ago that I was an eager freshman beginning my journey at my dream school, Fordham University. Today, still that girl with fire in her belly, I began my final semester at the place that has become a part of who I am. What better way to kick off this senior semester than by volunteering as an Orientation Leader for the incoming class of 2025? Over the past week, I have had the privilege of working with my spirited Fordham peers, as well as the new members of our Ramily. Meeting all of these freshmen from around the world with so many different stories reminded me of the way I felt three years ago during my orientation. As a freshman, I knew that I wanted to make the most of my time at Fordham. Now, as a senior and former Resident Assistant, I knew that I could help incoming Rams have a similar experience as an Orientation Leader. Like the Fordham slogan says “New York is my campus, Fordham is my school,” and I truly believe that you have the opportunity to learn life’s most valuable lessons in and out of the classroom, on and off campus at Fordham University— hence why I say that I am “majoring in life.” Going into these final few months, I am going to cherish every time I scan my ID to enter the Fordham corridors, every in-person test that I have to take, every late night I spend volunteering at events, and, most importantly, every interaction I have with friends, faculty and university staff. Over the past three years, I have met many of the people that will forever be on my “life team,” and the people that make Fordham the place that I love so much. From Gina Vergel taking me under her wing as a freshman intern, to my Class Dean Joseph Brady Desciak becoming my mentor, there are a countless number of Rams that I owe many thanks to. In particular, I am incredibly grateful for President Joseph M. McShane, S.J., Jeffrey L Gray, Laura Auricchio, Jennifer Campbell, Keith Eldredge, Vincent DeCola,Tom Stoelker, Logan West, M.S., Rachel Roman, MBA, Patrick Verel, Nicole LaRosa, Taylor Ha, Bob Howe, Kelly Sosa, M.Ed, Kristopher L., Joe Corcoran, Claira Zambon Versland, James Gabrillo, Matthew Hockenberry and Kari Evanson to name a few. Last but not least, I will never be able to thank my mom and dad enough for all that they have sacrificed for me to make my dream of attending Fordham University a reality. Every time I walk on campus, I think about what it took to get here and the person they have taught me to be. So, how do you love Fordham as much as I do? You make the most of every opportunity Fordham can offer you, and you won’t have to be taught how to love it here, you just will. #gorams #firstdayofschool #fordham #grateful

If you told me a few years ago that I would be working a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Corporate America internship, I don’t think I ever would have believed you. Here I am, an IBM internship later, with a smile that couldn’t get any bigger. The past 9.5 weeks have made for the most impactful summer of my life, and one that I will remember forever. Waking up every day was something I looked forward to knowing that I was going to be doing work that had the potential to make a real difference at IBM and with some of the most inspiring people I have ever met. Throughout my summer, I collaborated with my incredible teammates Jada Morgan and Jazmyne Jones on a project that had the potential to impact 30,000+ IBMers. As a team, we conducted focus groups and spoke with IBMers across various business units, geographic regions and time zones. On top of that, we conducted external research by meeting with Google, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Slack, and The Home Depot. In between our project work, I attended internship roundtables, worked on IBM learning courses, volunteered with the P-TECH Internship Program and met with over 80 IBMers to hear more about their career journeys. Juggling all of this, along with two Fordham University summer classes was definitely a challenge, but I am going to miss it. From the first week of June to now, I have grown so much as an aspiring communications professional and as a person, and a lot of that I attribute to the people I was surrounded by. Throughout the summer, I met lifelong mentors and friends that made my internship experience at IBM what it was. For starters, I must give a huge shoutout to my Project Managers Brandie Brooks and Patricia Felizetti. You two were the glue that held our team together and you truly made every single day memorable. You also encouraged me to not be afraid to reach out to the man, the myth, the legend Jonathan Adashek, who took the time out of his insanely busy schedule to meet with me one-on-one. How many Chief Communications Officers do that? I do not think many. On top of these rock stars, I am so grateful for Arvind Krishna, Jon Birdsall, Roseanne Romero, Ashley Cureton, Whitney Baker, Spencer Barnardo, Kirsten Fowles Graham, Sarah Bruning Meron, Kirsten Berg, Bevin Maguire, Biz Dziarmaga, Irina Yakubenko, Ellie Hartman, Brandi Boatner, Lisa Wearing, Nancy Ngo, Laura Storey, Jennifer Hendrie, Colleen Burns, Wendy Warnecke, Alicia Brandon, Carrie Bendzsa, Robyn Bennett and so many more amazing IBMers that have shaped me into who I am today. I can’t say thank you enough to all of you and to IBM for allowing my voice to be heard in a company with over 345,000 people and for building a communications foundation within me that will help me throughout my career. #internship2021 #ibm #corporatecommunications #grateful

While most people have coffee, a certain routine, or a song that fuels them up for their day, what fuels me up are my goals. Every day, every week, every month and every year I set goals for myself. When the week of December 15th in particular rolls around, I take time to reflect on my academic and career goals thus far. Three years ago this week, I was accepted to my dream school, Fordham University. The amount of times people told me “don’t you think that is a reach school” or “that is a bit of a stretch” cannot be counted on two hands. However, I was not going to let that stop me from going after my goals. Fast forward three years later, I have given every ounce of myself to my studies at Fordham University, and I am now incredibly grateful to be joining IBM as a Corporate Communications Intern for the summer of 2021 in New York City. Through all the obstacles of 2020, getting this internship was my goal for the year and I am so excited to be turning that goal into a reality. Thank you to everyone who helped me throughout the application process at IBM, at Fordham and within my circle of family, friends and mentors. I look forward to (sky)diving into this new chapter at IBM and at 20 years old, I am ready to “put smart to work!” #hardworkpaysoffs #grateful #ibmer

Incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation on my Operation See A Letter, Send A Letter initiative! Specifically, the Channel Kindness Team. Thank you to Shadille Victoria and Aysha M. for bringing this project to life. The work that you both do amplifies change on a daily basis and has inspired me to channel my passions in the same direction. I look forward to our future collaborations together! #kindnessiscontagious #payitforward #ladygaga #channelkindness #covid #gratitude