I have been striving for three years to complete my GreenMBA at Dominican University of California and looking forward to carving out some precious time for myself to do what I love: Art and Writing. I was still struggling with my higher purpose — when was I going to figure that out. At the age of 57, I had seven years of college under my belt, plenty of corporate and entrepreneurial experience, a whopping school loan coming up in six months, and I STILL don’t know what I want to do when I grow up!
I rarely go to seminars and talks at the college. Who has time when you are in your third year of an MBA program, have a family, and running a business. I saw the flyer for the upcoming talk in October and felt if this person is coming all the way from England to do a presentation at Dominican, the least I can do is show up and learn what he has to say.
The only man who could uproot me from my Marin lifestyle was Aonghus Gordon. He captured the audience with his charming English accent sharing story after story of the work they were doing at Ruskin Mill Trust in England with Special 
Needs children, single women with children, soldiers returning from Afghanistan, and more. Mr. Gordon had me literally sitting on the edge of my seat. I was shaken to my very core! All my schooling, my eight years working in Special Education for the San Francisco Unified School District, and my husband’s and my current work with TOPSoccer (a soccer program dedicated to children with special needs) all came to a pinnacle revealing my higher purpose.
I knew it was going to be hard to be away from our tight-knit family for four months; I knew there would be sacrifices; but I knew I had to go — my whole family knew this was my calling. I accept the four-month assignment in England working with the Management Team at Ruskin Mill Trust in Nailsworth to learn, develop strategies to expand globally, and help with fundraising.
I am here with another GreenMBA colleague, whose name is also Barbara, so we are known as the Barbara’s or Barbara & Barbara. The British find it amusingly funny, and we are having a good time introducing ourselves to others. Definitely, we are making an unforgettable impression.
This is your opportunity to take a break to join me halfway around the world and learn about the fabulous work the people at Ruskin Mill Trust is doing to improve and lives of people. My desire is to support, learn, grow, and bring home what I have learned.
Barbara Bonardi
B&B Abroad 