But first, my story.<\/p>\n\n\n
When I was in high school, she had a mole on her shin removed. The dermatologist discovered that it was melanoma, so they removed more skin around it. They thought they got all the cancer, and my mom went about living her life. She gave birth to my sister about a year later, when I was almost 18.<\/p>\n\n\n
During my senior year of high school, I auditioned for music programs at several universities and won a scholarship to study music education at Kent State University. But during the summer after graduation, I started working at the YMCA as a camp counselor, and everything changed.<\/p>\n\n\n
Working at the YMCA opened my eyes to the possibility of a career tied to my love of the outdoors, and I just didn’t see myself being a music teacher. So I withdrew from Kent State and enrolled in my local community college while continuing to work for the YMCA part time.<\/p>\n\n\n
After two years, I earned an associate\u2019s degree from Lakeland Community College. Realizing I could make a difference for kids and families in our community \u2014 while also staying connected to the outdoors \u2014 inspired me to transfer to Kent State as a junior to pursue a bachelor\u2019s degree in recreation management.<\/p>\n\n\n
Then, during my senior year of college, my mom\u2019s cancer returned.<\/p>\n\n\n
The doctors found a lump in her groin and discovered it was melanoma that had spread to her lymph nodes. She began treatment when I started graduate school at Ohio University in 2001.<\/p>\n\n\n
I did a lot of traveling back and forth to see her during those years when she was sick, and I had the fortune to meet my wife Courtney on a visit toward the end of my mother\u2019s illness. We connected through mutual friends at a Kent State homecoming event and discovered that, although we\u2019d never met in college, we had actually lived in the same dorm.<\/p>\n\n\n
Courtney and I became engaged a few months later, and I\u2019m so grateful she got to meet my mother. I remember telling her that Courtney was \u201cthe one,\u201d no doubt about it.<\/p>\n\n\n
My mom tried different experimental treatments during those few years, but there’s no cure for melanoma, unfortunately \u2014 it’s the deadliest form of skin cancer. She passed away on Nov. 7, 2004.<\/p>\n\n\n
She had made such a tremendous impact in our community, even though she was only 44 when she passed. During the calling hours before her funeral, the line flowed out the door and the church was packed.<\/p>\n\n\n
In memory of my mother, a family friend bought a wheelchair lift for one of the church entrances. The plaque on it says, \u201cIn loving memory of Maria Herpy, who was always lifting others up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n
My mother didn’t have a career \u2014 she didn’t have many material possessions \u2014 but she loved life. She loved being a mom. She loved her purpose in this life. She lifted others up. And I try to do the same with my family and those I interact with every day.<\/p>\n\n\n
I had struggled with depression since my mom first became sick, and after she passed away, I experienced several major episodes. She had actually been the first person to help me get treatment for it, so I was able to get through it by continuing to see a counselor and take medication.<\/p>\n\n\n
I want to say to those who are going through difficult times \u2014 especially now during the Covid-19 pandemic \u2014 don’t be afraid to ask for help, personally or professionally. There’s such a stigma with mental health in our society, which is unfortunate. I think we need to be able to have these conversations because they\u2019re so important.<\/p>\n\n\n
About a decade after my mom died, Courtney and I decided to move to North Carolina. It had been our family dream to live here, so when I discovered the opportunity to work with North Carolina 4-H, we made the move. Courtney is a CAT scan technologist, and she found a position at the hospital near our home.<\/p>\n\n\n
Working for 4-H is such a natural fit for me. Being able to make a difference in the lives of youth and citizens across the state is so important. And I appreciate that our programs focus on the whole individual, including physical, mental and emotional health.<\/p>\n\n\n
Courtney and I have four children that range in age from two to 10. Our life is full, and I couldn\u2019t be more grateful for the privilege of being a husband and father.<\/p>\n\n\n
There are six principles that have contributed to my happiness in career and in life, and I want to share them with you. But first, it\u2019s important to acknowledge that happiness is a journey, not a destination. Also, the \u201c6 P\u2019s\u201d concept is not my original idea. Google it and you\u2019ll find a wide variety of information.<\/p>\n\n\n
The following are my 6 P’s for happiness in career and life. I encourage you to discover yours.<\/p>\n\n\n
This post was originally published<\/a> in NC State News.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false,"raw":"\n
Voices<\/a> is a series of first-person narratives written by members of the NC State community reflecting on experiences that have shaped their personal and professional lives. Dave Herpy, North Carolina 4-H camping specialist, is a career public servant who dedicates his life to serving others through camp, outdoor recreation and youth development.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n
But first, my story.<\/p>\n\n\n
When I was in high school, she had a mole on her shin removed. The dermatologist discovered that it was melanoma, so they removed more skin around it. They thought they got all the cancer, and my mom went about living her life. She gave birth to my sister about a year later, when I was almost 18.<\/p>\n\n\n
During my senior year of high school, I auditioned for music programs at several universities and won a scholarship to study music education at Kent State University. But during the summer after graduation, I started working at the YMCA as a camp counselor, and everything changed.<\/p>\n\n\n
Working at the YMCA opened my eyes to the possibility of a career tied to my love of the outdoors, and I just didn't see myself being a music teacher. So I withdrew from Kent State and enrolled in my local community college while continuing to work for the YMCA part time.<\/p>\n\n\n
After two years, I earned an associate\u2019s degree from Lakeland Community College. Realizing I could make a difference for kids and families in our community \u2014 while also staying connected to the outdoors \u2014 inspired me to transfer to Kent State as a junior to pursue a bachelor\u2019s degree in recreation management.<\/p>\n\n\n
Then, during my senior year of college, my mom\u2019s cancer returned.<\/p>\n\n\n
The doctors found a lump in her groin and discovered it was melanoma that had spread to her lymph nodes. She began treatment when I started graduate school at Ohio University in 2001.<\/p>\n\n\n
I did a lot of traveling back and forth to see her during those years when she was sick, and I had the fortune to meet my wife Courtney on a visit toward the end of my mother\u2019s illness. We connected through mutual friends at a Kent State homecoming event and discovered that, although we\u2019d never met in college, we had actually lived in the same dorm.<\/p>\n\n\n
Courtney and I became engaged a few months later, and I\u2019m so grateful she got to meet my mother. I remember telling her that Courtney was \u201cthe one,\u201d no doubt about it.<\/p>\n\n\n
My mom tried different experimental treatments during those few years, but there's no cure for melanoma, unfortunately \u2014 it's the deadliest form of skin cancer. She passed away on Nov. 7, 2004.<\/p>\n\n\n
She had made such a tremendous impact in our community, even though she was only 44 when she passed. During the calling hours before her funeral, the line flowed out the door and the church was packed.<\/p>\n\n\n
In memory of my mother, a family friend bought a wheelchair lift for one of the church entrances. The plaque on it says, \u201cIn loving memory of Maria Herpy, who was always lifting others up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n
My mother didn't have a career \u2014 she didn't have many material possessions \u2014 but she loved life. She loved being a mom. She loved her purpose in this life. She lifted others up. And I try to do the same with my family and those I interact with every day.<\/p>\n\n\n
I had struggled with depression since my mom first became sick, and after she passed away, I experienced several major episodes. She had actually been the first person to help me get treatment for it, so I was able to get through it by continuing to see a counselor and take medication.<\/p>\n\n\n
I want to say to those who are going through difficult times \u2014 especially now during the Covid-19 pandemic \u2014 don't be afraid to ask for help, personally or professionally. There's such a stigma with mental health in our society, which is unfortunate. I think we need to be able to have these conversations because they\u2019re so important.<\/p>\n\n\n
About a decade after my mom died, Courtney and I decided to move to North Carolina. It had been our family dream to live here, so when I discovered the opportunity to work with North Carolina 4-H, we made the move. Courtney is a CAT scan technologist, and she found a position at the hospital near our home.<\/p>\n\n\n
Working for 4-H is such a natural fit for me. Being able to make a difference in the lives of youth and citizens across the state is so important. And I appreciate that our programs focus on the whole individual, including physical, mental and emotional health.<\/p>\n\n\n
Courtney and I have four children that range in age from two to 10. Our life is full, and I couldn\u2019t be more grateful for the privilege of being a husband and father.<\/p>\n\n\n
There are six principles that have contributed to my happiness in career and in life, and I want to share them with you. But first, it\u2019s important to acknowledge that happiness is a journey, not a destination. Also, the \u201c6 P\u2019s\u201d concept is not my original idea. Google it and you\u2019ll find a wide variety of information.<\/p>\n\n\n
The following are my 6 P's for happiness in career and life. I encourage you to discover yours.<\/p>\n\n\n
Personal tragedy reframed Dave Herpy\u2019s outlook on his life and career. Here, he shares his story \u2014 and the six principles that guide him every day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":191168,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"ncstate_wire","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-post-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"showAuthor\":true,\"showDate\":true,\"showFeaturedVideo\":false,\"caption\":\"\",\"displayCategoryID\":1171}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1792,1170,1171],"tags":[1873],"_ncst_magazine_issue":[],"coauthors":[1662],"class_list":["post-191167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cals-weekly","category-extension","category-faculty-and-staff","tag-_from-newswire-collection-248"],"displayCategory":{"term_id":1171,"name":"Faculty and Staff","slug":"faculty-and-staff","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1171,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":1130,"filter":"raw"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=191167"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191167\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":996065,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191167\/revisions\/996065"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/191168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=191167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=191167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=191167"},{"taxonomy":"_ncst_magazine_issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/_ncst_magazine_issue?post=191167"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=191167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}