Message from AHVAP President-Elect

Where Did Tenacity Go?

The other day, my daughter shared her frustration over a mix-up at school. She was told she hadn’t taken a required exam. But she was certain she had—and even had the grade to prove it. After some back and forth, it was confirmed by her teacher: she had, in fact, taken the exam but also passed with flying colors.

Still, when she told us, my husband and I, about it, the responses were split. I encouraged her to follow up with her counselor and teacher. But my husband, trying to be practical, said, “Just take it again.” His thought process was that she passed it once, she would have no problem passing it again.  That suggestion—though well-meaning—really upset her. To her, it wasn’t about the test. It was about principle.

She had done the work. She had followed the process. She was right. And she wasn’t going to quietly accept the mistake.

Her reaction struck me—not as stubbornness, but as tenacity. That fierce sense of self-worth and willingness to speak up for what’s right. It made me pause and ask: where does that tenacity go as we get older?

Do we lose it in the name of “choosing our battles”? Does life teach us that pushing back isn’t worth the effort? Or do we simply grow tired of speaking up in systems that don’t always listen?

But what if that fire is something we’re supposed to keep? What if tenacity isn’t about defiance, but about growth? About caring enough to do the right thing, even when it’s hard.

In leadership, in careers, in life—tenacity is the foundation of continuous learning. It’s what drives us to take the extra class, to ask for feedback, to reach out to someone we admire and say, “Can you help me grow?” It fuels us to expand our circle, not just of colleagues, but of mentors and challengers—people who encourage us to push further, to do better, to stay curious.

So maybe the question isn’t where tenacity goes. Maybe it’s: how do we hold onto it? And the answer might be this—by staying curious, standing firm when it counts, and letting the right people keep our spark alive.

Sincerely,

Anne Marie Orlando, MBA, RN, RCIS, CVAHP™, FACHDM, PNAP, FAHVAP
President-Elect, Board of Directors
AHVAP