To celebrate and acknowledge the heart, hustle, and humanity of Penn State’s Auxiliary & Business Services (ABS) team. This experience wasn’t just a keynote—it was a reminder that kindness, flexibility, and overdelivery are what make this team exceptional.

 Core Themes and Takeaways

1. Everyone Has Something — Assume With Compassion

“If we could see bubbles above people’s heads showing what they’re going through, would we treat them differently?”
✅ Treat everyone with empathy, whether or not you know what they’re facing.
✅ Choose kindness without needing proof.

2. Most People Don’t… But YOU Do

This guiding message was woven throughout the session.
Most people don’t follow up.
Most people don’t say thank you.
Most people don’t go the extra mile.
Most people don’t remember names or say good morning.

✅ But YOU do—and that’s what makes ABS special.

 Voices from the room:

• Shaq (Harrisburg): “Most people don’t ask questions—but I do.”

• Josh (Altoona): “Most people don’t show up—but I do.”

• Neil (Beaver): “Most people don’t say good morning—but I do.”

3. Deciding Is Not Doing

“Three frogs sit on a log. Three decide to jump. How many are left? Three.”
✅ Inspiration is not action. The real challenge: What will you actually do differently?

4. Stories Stick. Use Them.

Facts fade. Stories stay.
From Sandra and the black stone to the Penn State recruiting moment, you proved that emotion makes stories unforgettable.
✅ Share your stories to inspire, connect, and lead.

5. Kindness Is Contagious (and Free)

“One act of kindness a day can increase happiness by 8%.”
✅ Small gestures can have huge ripple effects.
✅ Kindness doesn’t require money—just intention.

6. The KIND Framework

A practical tool to guide daily choices:
K – Kind Over Right
I – Include Others
N – Notice, Observe, Overdeliver
D – Doing Great

You were encouraged to take a photo of this from your worksheet—and live it.

7. #BeBamboo — Bending Isn’t Breaking

“Oak trees break in storms. Bamboo bends.”
✅ Flexibility isn’t weakness—it’s resilience.
✅ Adaptation creates impact.

 A Brandywine attendee won a #BeBamboo shirt for admitting, “I used to resist. Now I bend.”

8. Kind Over Right

Sometimes it’s better to be kind than correct.

• A principal stops a student from dancing = technically right, emotionally wrong.

• Another joins the dance = right for the moment, unforgettable for life.

✅ “Before you speak: Is it kind? Is it necessary? Is it true?”

9. Include Others

Inclusion starts with a gesture, a glance, a seat change.
✅ Make eye contact.
✅ Shift a conversation.
✅ Welcome someone into your circle.

 You shared your walk-on story—and the moment Coach Pavlik helped erase your regret.

 The Island Deli video brought it to life: belonging doesn’t cost anything—but it changes everything.

10. See Something, Do Something

You stepped on a chip. Then another. Picked them up.
The third remained. Others walked past.
✅ If you see something, do something.
✅ Don't step over problems—step up.

11. Notice, Anticipate, Overdeliver

Real hospitality = noticing what others need without being told.
Your examples:

• A subway rider handing his phone to a child

• A runner carrying a competitor across the finish

• A server creating a personalized birthday dessert

✅ Notice what others miss. Act with generosity.

12. Overdeliver for Others—and for Yourself

✅ Take care of you. You can’t pour from an empty cup.
Ideas: Take a walk. Enjoy a movie. Get a coffee. Say “no” when you need to rest.

Reflection Questions (From Your Worksheet)

Take time this week to reflect and write down your answers:

• Most people don’t ________, but I do.

• What’s one thing I can do to make sure no one feels left out?

• What’s one thing I can do to overdeliver…
  → For someone else?
  → For myself?

Gratitude Stone Reminder

Keep it close. Let it remind you:
You are appreciated. You are seen. You are making a difference.

Immediate Actions You Can Take

✅ Send a thank-you message today
✅ Say “Good morning” more often
✅ Include someone who seems left out
✅ Do one thing this week that most people wouldn’t
✅ Share a story that inspires or connects
✅ Practice KIND, and Be Bamboo

“You don’t have to go to school here to be Penn State Proud. You just have to show up, do great work, treat others kindly, and make someone feel included.”

And YOU do. Every single day.