[ANSTHRLD] Laurel letter of interest

[Joseph Percer]

Greetings!

I have included my letter of intent for my application to the position of
Laurel Principal Sovereign of Arms! I wanted to go ahead and post it here
since I noticed a question about applications. Please feel free to cross
post, and contact me with questions you might have!

Greetings Unto the Board of Directors and the College of Arms!


My name is Joseph Percer, I am known in the SCA as Andrewe Bawldwyn
(formerly Jayme Dominguez del Valle). I am declaring my intent to seek
appointment to the position of Laurel Sovereign of Arms. I have been active
in the SCA since 2003, when I attended my first event. From that day, I
have actively pursued a career in heraldry over the span of my time in the
Society, having held heraldic offices at the local, regional, and kingdom
levels. I stepped down from the office of Star Principal Herald of
Ansteorra in January, and have been considering where I would like to go
from here.  As a submissions herald, I understand that one of the biggest
assets to a College can be stability, and so I feel that I would be a good
choice to continue the work of Gabriel’s team.


My life experience has greatly prepared me to tackle many of the challenges
the Laurel office poses. As a Flight Paramedic with supervisory experience,
I am used to taking quick, reasoned action in a wide spectrum of situations
while remaining calm and collected. As a former principal herald, I have
obtained a wealth of experience interacting with several different Crowns
and through my time assisting with the planning and execution of last
year’s KWHSS.  This along with my experience in administrative,
submissions, and educational offices within the Ansteorran College of
Heralds has provided me with the hands-on experience to understand
challenges currently present. I am also prepared for those that are likely
to appear within the College of Arms. Laurel needs to have a good grasp on
the various kingdom traditions out there, and I feel my time as a principal
herald was well spent in learning some of those traditions.


I see the College of Arms’ biggest challenge as recruitment and retention.
Indeed, this is a challenge for the entire society, and it was a large
focus of my time and tenure as Star. Continuing to prioritize education
both in person and online will help with recruiting new members of the
College, as people begin to feel prepared to take on the very diverse job
of herald.  The College of Arms is a fundamentally different landscape
today than it was when I began, and indeed much different than when the
Society was founded. I feel we will need to focus heavily on continuing to
provide high quality service to the populace of the Society as we continue
to progress deeper into electronic submissions. I have seen the time it
takes to process submissions reduced drastically since I began in the
Society, and it is my desire to continue the work that Gabriel’s team has
begun, by affording a paperless option to the registration process.

I look forward to the opportunity to work with Pelican, Wreath, and the
College of Arms if selected as Laurel. Having remembered my first Pelican
ten years ago, it would be a privilege to serve in this capacity. Should
you have any questions please feel free to contact me at jpercer at gmail.com.


I remain in service,


Andrewe Bawldwyn, CSM

Kingdom of Ansteorra

-- 
Joseph M. Percer, AAS, LP