I don't know where to start as I begin this program. I wouldn't be here today without the insane amount of support I have received from my friends and family. I never thought I would even start school, let alone go for a master's degree. So for now, thank you to those who have been surrounding me.
Goals:
- 3.5 GPA
- Ask for help when needed
- Make meaningful relationships
- Build a network
- Explore the relative community
- Get involved at the systems level without abandoning micro & mezzo.
- Get acquainted with local legislature
- Influence one policy change
As I was nearing the end of my Bachelor's degree, I was certain that I was going to continue into my master's degree with the intent of becoming a counselor to be there for at-risk teens. I wanted to be someone that could be there for them the way some of my mentors were for me when I was in custody of the state. During my second and last internship of the Bachelor program, I began questioning whether this was the right path for me. When I finished my degree, I was working for the same proctor care agency that I aged out from, CBTS. Despite the love and passion I have for these teenagers, I couldn't watch the self-sabotage any longer knowing that they had a way out and didn't care, so I had to depart from that particular side of the field. To this day, I'm not certain as to whether I will return.
Despite this internal struggle, I intend to continue working in non-profit, addiction and recovery because my heart will forever belong here. Near the end of my Bachelor's degree, I left my position at Odyssey House and was employed for a short while at Mosaic House. Soon after I had begun working at Mosaic House, I was offered a job at the organization I had been trying to join for months. When I completed my Bachelor's degree, I was finally employed with First Step House, and organization that I truly feel aligns with my own principles and standards, and a place where I can mutually align myself with.
Before I begun my Master's degree, I had a change of heart about working as a counselor, knowing that I would carry the burdens of my patients with me, despite what I have learned. Knowing this would bring me to a point of burnout, I decided I needed to do something that would help those patients on a much larger scale. This decision has led me to where I stand today.
On this date, I'm near the completion of 15 credits for my Master's degree, with 45 to go. Rather than doing just one degree, I am pursuing two: Master of Business Administration and Master of Health Administration. I figure that the two degrees will equip me with the most information and best skills possible in order to stand up and promote policy change with credibility and influence. I do realize that my ambitions are years away, but they most certainly will come forth when it is time, and I do look forward to the preparation needed to realize them.
7/1/2018
04 I hope you Dance.mp3
