Connie Caldwell

I am Connie Caldwell. I am most proud of my daughter, Zen, who inspires me all day/every day to make a better life and legacy for her. My hobbies center on her enrichment and the world we have to grow up in. We enjoy singing, dancing, and reading, crafting, gardening, nature, animals, exploring the outdoors, gourmet cooking, imagination traveling, and live children's theatre. I am a full time senior who will go on to complete my master’s and doctorate’s degree in public administration. I want to be qualified and prepared in facilitating a movement to assist So. Floridian’s transition to living in ways that can counteract the effects of urban sprawl on individuals, the environment, and the climate.

I believe that through knowledge, empowerment, and opportunity individuals will make the changes that ultimately improve things on a global scale. In the coming years I would like to organize a comprehensive collaboration with government, non-profit, public, and private sector along with institutions of research to communicate the symbiotic relationship between wellbeing of the environment and individuals. I am hoping this course will improve my knowledge on researching the correlations. In five years I see myself as Dr. C with a Ph. D and employment that will help me empower what I call “conscientious communities”. With a little success and time maybe I will enjoy an old interest: Texas hold’em tournaments, athletic adventures, travel, or heated debates about politics and current affairs. Until then I am very happy on my current course.

Other interest are community development, public participation, environmental exploitation, self/societal sustainability, and global governance. I am inspired by innovators who build and design with sustainable practices, educators and administrators that advocate a global perspective and engage students, scientist such as mycologist like Paul Stamets, who is using fungi to do unimaginable things in bioremediation, and again my daughter Zen, who is my greatest reason for wanting to improve the current conditions in society and raise awareness and participation for more harmonious conscientious living reflective of interplay between communities that love life and borderless environments.

Check out www.ted.com and www.mnn.com