ILMA Compoundings - Jul/Aug 2021 - 40

PORTRAIT
Caitlin Jacobs
Director of Communications, ILMA
" Always be prepared to take advantage of
opportunity when it knocks; do the work,
build relationships and know what your
priorities are. I didn't specifically plan to
be where I am in my life or career, but I
was ready to walk through the doors that
were opened to me. Also, never make
a big decision without collecting the
wisdom of a few trusted friends, family
members or mentors. They'll often see
what's in your blind spot. "
EPICURIOUS EXPLORING
" Travel and food are two of my passions, preferably in combination.
I travel to eat, and I like to eat local. International
chain restaurants are my nightmare; street food carts are
(usually) heaven. Food is a significant part of culture, and
Jacobs at the top of Hallasan, the tallest mountain in South Korea.
A NEW WORLD
" I had no idea the lubricants industry existed until a recruiter
for Lubes'n'Greases (LNG) reached out to me on LinkedIn. At
first, I dismissed the offer, having no immediate interest in
the subject matter nor the suburban location, but something
told me to follow up, and I'm glad I did. It was challenging to
learn a whole new industry from both business and technical
perspectives, but LNG co-founder Lisa Tocci also taught me
how to ask the right questions, how to write tight and how to
be a good manager. I learn something new every day, and I
get to work with people who are passionate about what they
do. I don't take any of that for granted. "
FOR THE LOVE OF LANGUAGE AND KIMCHI - AND LOVE
" The two years I spent teaching English in South Korea had a
profound impact on my life. The experience both invited and
forced enormous personal growth. I learned that while I love
language, being a language teacher is not my calling. As a
definitive Type A, I learned how to go with the flow and how
to be a little more flexible when things don't go according to
plan (or when I have no idea what the plan is). Problemsolving
and creativity are a must where you can't yet read,
write or speak the local tongue.
" I learned as much about my own language and culture as
those of my host country. I was also exposed to the cultures of
my fellow English teachers, who hailed from Scotland to South
Africa and every Anglophone country in between. I now have
friends all over the world. I learned to love kimchi, and I still
make 15-pound batches to feed what can only be described as
an addiction. I learned that if you like something, it's best to
just enjoy it and not ask what's in it.
" Oh - I met my husband there, too! "
40
JULY/AUGUST 2021 | COMPOUNDINGS | ILMA.ORG
experiencing new cultures is exciting and interesting to me.
" You'll never catch me on a cruise, and while I may dream of
laying on a white-sand beach on some faraway island, you're
not likely to ever find me there. The allure of getting lost in the
back streets of a city I've never visited before is too strong. It
may not be the easiest way to travel, but it's the most rewarding.
I want to experience and understand daily life in new
places, try new things, meet new people and broaden
my perspective. "
MUCH-APPRECIATED BLAST FROM THE PAST
" I'm fortunate to have had many excellent professional, personal
and spiritual mentors throughout my life. A particularly
concrete example of someone's influence came in graduate
school, when I had no idea how to begin writing my thesis and
was feeling overwhelmed. Sitting in the library with my head
on a pile of books, I had a flashback to a high school class
called 'Writing for Research.' I put away my laptop, bought
a stack of index cards and a pack of multicolored pens, and
tackled the literature review exactly as Mrs. Benson had
taught me 13 years earlier. I could not have written my thesis
without the skills I learned from her, which went far beyond
research. She deserves the lion's share of credit for the writer I
am today. I found her on Facebook that day and thanked her. "
Jacobs with her husband, Paul Staunton, in Segovia, Spain.
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ILMA Compoundings - Jul/Aug 2021

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