MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2022

Arcilia Acosta speaking at the September GMM

The first General Membership Meeting (GMM) is in the books! Junior League of Dallas Sustainer Arcilia Acosta joined us as our first speaker. Acosta is an amazing entrepreneur and member of the Dallas business community. She started as a Provisional with the Dallas Junior League in 1999 and was introduced to the League via sponsors from a leadership program. One of the most impactful Placements she had was volunteering at Methodist Hospital and getting to serve underprivileged clients who found the healthcare system  overwhelming and stressful to navigate. She spoke highly of how the JLD has been impactful with helping to develop her civic path and giving back to the community. 

Something very interesting she was involved in recently was during Covid-19 where she was appointed by Governor Abbot to be on the Strike Force to Open Texas. She was involved with crisis management and quickly learned to pivot ideas and strategies to ensure Texas was responding as best they could to the ever-changing pandemic. 

She offered some great  advice that all of us can appreciate and apply in our personal and professional lives: 

• Build authentic and honest friendships with people who you trust to believe in you and hold you accountable. Relationships are hugely important! 
• We are all born with intuition – listen to it! Let your intuition guide you in your interactions and decision making. 
• Leave a good impression with everyone you meet. This could be as simple as a friendly smile or a warm and engaging handshake or hug. 
• Give back with love in your heart. Don’t expect something back when you give or have an agenda or want to be seen. Giving wholeheartedly can be monumentally healing for people 

Emily Somerville, JLD President, speaking at the September GMM

She ended her message with asking all of us to reflect inward – what are our gifts? What do we already possess to give back? It’s important for all of us to lean into our unique ways of serving our communities, remembering that our voices count as much as anyone else’s. 

President Emily Somerville closed the GMM with a reminder to embrace this year’s theme of “Better Together,” which highlighted our opportunities to serve and socialize in-person this year. The Junior League of Dallas is incredibly grateful to Arcilia Acosta for taking time to encourage all of us to continue boldly moving forward with professional, personal and civic engagement. 

Please join us at our next GMM in November. Register online at member.jldallas.org.

Emily Wilcox
Campaign Manager
Brand Strategy Committee
2022 – 2023