I was born "Michelle Cary Odom" in 1979 and raised in small-town South Arkansas. El Dorado
lies about 2 hours directly south of Little Rock and about 17 miles north of the
Louisiana state line. The town's history revolves around oil with El Dorado
meaning "City of Gold" in Spanish. The area holds a lot of history and has successfully recaptured the
quaint historic "Main Street" feel in the downtown area, reminiscent of the Boom Town days.
As a toddler, I was tagged "Micki," and the nickname has been my calling card ever since. I hardly recognize Michelle as my own name anymore because it often means I've found my way into some sort of trouble.
I began my public school education at Rogers Middle School (recently renamed Washington Middle School). As a cheerleader for the mighty Rams, I grew to hate the colors green and gold. Yuck.
I moved onto El Dorado High School where I was active in just about anything offered. I lettered in swimming and golf, held leadership positions of organizations from Anchor Club to Spanish Club, and was senior editor of the yearbook. I graduated in May of 1998 in the top percent among 373 other purple-clad senior Wildcats .
Yearning to spread my wings after high school, I searched far and wide for a school far enough away to avoid unexpected parental visits. My dad gave me an 8-hour limit on my college choices, so I drew a circle on a map and got as far away as he would allow. I picked Southwest Missouri State University for a number of trivial reasons, but most importantly being named a Presidential Scholar and receiving a full ride.
I began my career as an SMS Bear majoring in marketing
with an emphasis in advertising and a minor in international business. After
working for a whitewater rafting company my freshman summer, I altered the
marketing emphasis to management and added a second major: Recreation and
Leisure Studies. While attending SMS, I was more involved than anyone I knew. I was once told that I
"do more in one day than [he had] done in four years." What can I say? I am an
extreme overachiever and, luckily, I do my best work under pressure. From holding offices in Alpha Kappa Psi (professional business fraternity), to heading the Campus Events arm of our student programming board, to being the first-ever student chair of the
Student Homecoming Committee, I definitely made my mark on the SMS campus. Probably because I rarely left campus even to sleep.
Upon graduating cum laude from the Honors College in December 2002, I was hired by the Atlanta Braves as a trainee in the Corporate Sales department. Besides the perks (watching games from our suite behind homeplate, being on the field during an F-14 flyover, and getting to say "I work for the Braves," among others), the atmosphere there was great. The 11-month trainee program was a glorified full-time internship, with trainees having more responsibility than the summer interns. Ideally, the program feeds into full-time permanent positions, but a re-organization following the sale of AOL's other sports teams severely limited that option.
I'm currently in my second year at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. I enjoy the challenges of my job when it comes to putting events together, building relationships in the community, and looking for innovative marketing strategies. Hand-me-down furniture, drab walls, minimal expediture budgets, and volunteer motivation can be the most frustrating drawbacks from time to time, but I'm learning a lot about my talents, strengths, & weaknesses. I'm taking advantage of this opportunity to improve upon my weaknesses and focus on maximizing my strengths as I consider future career and personal plans.