Do more of what makes you feel privileged to be here.

2026 started off with a bang in a variety of ways. Some days, it can feel overwhelming just thinking about the days ahead. But, taking the time to process my themes and goals for the year, being part of this testing community can feel like such a lift. And, if anything, I think 2026 will turn out to be more meaningful than I could expect.

Last year was a big one. In that time I:
* Wrote my first article for the Ministry of Testing
* Spent time with Joe Colantonio talking about Building a Career in QA
* Helped initiate and facilitate the Women in Testing Newsletter
* Co-hosted This Week in Quality for the first time!
* Submitted my first talk to Automation Guild 2026 (and got accepted!)

Lots of firsts. And, with each first, I thought, I can't believe I'm doing this. I can't believe I'm a part of this community, talking with people across the globe. I just felt so privileged with every opportunity I got. I want to keep doing the things that make me feel so lucky to be here.

Part of that is continuing with STEC. Working through STEC, I wrote down my SMART goals. I want to share those also:

Strength Goal:
* I will improve what I find with discovery through my reports. I will add feedback in my feedback journal on GitHub. I will experiment with different reports and see how I can make them more meaningful.

Weakness Goal:
* I will make comfort my ally as I continue to take risks. I will challenge myself, and at the same time use comfort to provide feedback. That while the risk feels scary, I am giving myself a soft spot to land. I don't know what this looks like exactly, but I will try different things and share them as I learn them.

Not sure what my list of achievements will look like next January. I'll report back and let you know 😅