This Monday, we are featuring Junior League of Charlotte, Inc. (JLC) member, Heather Hendren, as part of our Member Monday series. Heather is the Secretary of the JLC Foundation and the Secretary of the Finance Committee. Heather is currently working on her PhD in Infrastructure and Environmental Systems at UNCC. Read more about the Virginia native below.
1) Thanks for taking time to share some personal insights with us today. Can you give us some background information about you?
I was born in Germany and moved to the United States when I was young. I grew up in Southeast Virginia on the Chesapeake Bay. I graduated with a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Virginia. I lived and worked in New York City before going back to graduate school. I was a Darla Moore Fellow and obtained an MBA in International Business from the University of South Carolina. I lived and worked in Switzerland and then moved to Miami after graduation. My two sons Charlie and Vincent were born in Miami. We lived in Washington, DC before moving to Charlotte for my husband’s job. I am currently working on my PhD in Infrastructure and Environmental Systems at UNCC. I am a Graduate Assistant in the Civil Engineering Department and have finished all my class requirements and am working on completing my dissertation to graduate. We live in Myers Park and have two French Bulldogs named Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett.
2) What is the best and worst decision you’ve ever made?
Best Decision – Moving to New York City after graduating from undergraduate. I loved my years in New York!
Worst Decision – There are no bad decisions. Every experience makes you grow, so the only bad decision is not making one.
3) What woman inspires you and why?
Maria Shriver. Her work ethic and ability to publicly face adversity, as well as her faith, has always inspired me. If you haven’t read “Ten Things I Wished I’d Known – Before I Went Out into the Real World,” inspired by her commencement speech at the College of the Holy Cross, you should. It is a short read but the life stories she shares are incredibly inspirational.
4) From start to finish, what would your ideal day be like?
Wake up in London, enjoy wandering around the British Library, catch a matinee at the theater and meet friends for dinner.
5) What keeps you up at night?
Nothing – I’m usually so sleep deprived that when I go to bed I can fall asleep in less than 5 minutes.
6) If you could tell your 23-year-old self-one thing what would it be?
Don’t worry, everything will work out.
7) One thing people would be surprised to learn about you?
I’m learning German.
8) How has the Junior League helped you develop your potential, taught you something unique, and/or given you an opportunity that you never would have had otherwise?
My whole professional career has been spent working with engineers and scientists. The Junior League has given me the opportunity to work with a variety of professionals with different backgrounds that has helped me grow in my own career and look at problems from different perspectives. I have also developed a whole group of friends I would have never otherwise met through the Junior League Book Club. I have been attending the Book Club meetings since 2011 and I look forward to it every month. Several of us have developed friendships that now extend beyond Book Club.
