I was 41 when I started my graduate program in clinical social work. After my B.S. we started our family and after six children, so much time elapsed that I wondered if it was worth it to start a whole new career. Then, I looked at my children - 21, 14, 12, 8, 6 and 2. They had grown up knowing I always wanted to go back to school, always talking about how much "the classroom" invigorated me and how I was never bored there. If I didn't pursue the degree, would they just consider me "all talk"? What ultimately gave me the courage to go back was knowing that I could model curiosity and heart for my children. I have shown them, day in and day out, what it looks like to want something and pursue it wholeheartedly, with vigor. It feels very much like a real life adventure hike, leading the pack and calling to them saying, "Hey, the view is great from here, you're gonna love it!" It was terrifying to strategize how to step away from family responsibilities for 20 hours a week and pour my energy into something they couldn't fully understand. I worried the children could no longer count on me as I let balls drop and occasionally disappointed them. My second daughter graduated high school just as I was starting a summer taking ten credits. It was exhausting. She needed her day to be extra special because she was having so many heavy feelings around all the goodbyes and changes that come with the end of high school. Early in the process, a mentor reminded me that some balls are made of precious glass and some are made of rubber. The trick was to protect those that would shatter while letting the others bounce. I found the courage to go back to school and pursue this dream career when I saw the dreams my children hold for themselves. Today, our younger generations suffer from so much anxiety and fear about the world. There are many reasons for it and I don't have the power to reverse it all. However, asking my children to follow my example is much more powerful than just telling them to be brave. I knew they would need to see what it looked like, up close if they would be able to push through even when the world relentlessly drags them towards fear. By exploring the world even while feeling older and vulnerable, I hope it teaches them to have the courage to explore it too, even when I'm no longer here.

I thought having 5 children, from high school down to preschool, was going to be difficult enough while trying to earn my Master's degree. Little did I know...it would take four graduate schools to get to my goal. I was accepted to the first in March of 2017 and one month later discovered my husband and I were unexpectedly expecting our 6th child. I lost my nerve at the thought of graduate school with 5 school age children and a newborn, so I withdrew. When that sweet babe was two years old, I was accepted to the second graduate school and completed a semester (with honors). Then? Covid hit, and 4 of our children came home from elementary and middle school to receive online instruction. That was the end of that program. Two years later I applied to my Alma Mater and was accepted. One month after that the school itself closed down their entire Social Work department completely, letting go all of their professors. Needless to say, I was unable to begin the program. By the time I applied to my fourth graduate school in 2022, I had lost a lot of confidence and was even a bit jaded. Was God telling me to stay home? I just couldn't believe that. I had dreamed of doing individual and family therapy since I was in my late teens and early twenties. My own marriage and children took priority in my twenties so I had not completed the necessary M.S. degree back then. Yet, here I was, twenty years later aiming for a Master's degree and it seemed like the universe was working hard to keep me from completing it. However, from a young age I prayed that God would make me a person who perseveres, I even have the old journal entries to prove it. It seemed fitting that this process of becoming a counselor of others should have plenty of obstacles in it for me. So I simply kept pursuing it. Today, I am more than half way through my M.S. in Clinical Social Work and currently working with homeless single mothers. During my own postpartum time in 2018, I wrote the business plan for my long term dream, a Community Resource Organization that I call, The Trestle House. It is a unique concept aimed to strengthen the resiliency of families by doing the monotonous parts of life together: laundry, meal time, childcare; a space where families can come and spend the day together, being productive and helping younger, sleep deprived parents rest and receive wisdom from older, experienced community members. This would be a multi-generational space where children are encouraged to eat with their parents and seniors come and function like mentors. In-house, private counseling services would be available for those times when the community needs to outsource the support. My dream is to provide community therapy through friendship and relationship. As a mother of 6 and now a grandmother of 3 I am even more passionate about the work of strengthening families before crisis begins. Being a mother fully informs my passions and work.

Four graduate schools. I was accepted to the first in March of 2017 and one month later discovered my husband and I were unexpectedly expecting our 6th child. I was not ready to do graduate school with 5 school age children and a newborn, so I withdrew. When that sweet babe was two years old, I was accepted to the second graduate school and completed a semester (with honors). Then? Covid hit, and 4 of our children came home from elementary and middle school to receive online instruction. That was the end of that program. Two years later I applied to my Alma Mater and was accepted. One month later the school itself closed down their entire Social Work department completely, letting go all of their professors. Needless to say, I was unable to begin. By the time I applied to my fourth graduate school, I had lost a lot of confidence. Was God telling me to stay home? I just couldn't believe that. I had dreamed of doing individual and family therapy since I was in my late teens and early twenties. My own marriage and children took priority in my twenties so I had not completed the necessary M.S. degree back then. Yet, here I was, twenty years later aiming for a Master's degree and it seemed like the universe was working hard to keep me from completing it. However, from a young age that God would make me a person who perseveres, I even have the old journal entries to prove it. It seemed fitting that this process of becoming a counselor of others should have plenty of obstacles in it for me. So I simply kept pursuing it. Today, I am more than half way through my M.S. in Clinical Social Work and currently working with homeless single mothers. During my postpartum time, I wrote the business plan for my long term dream, a Community Resource Organization that I call The Trestle House. It is a unique concept aimed to strengthen the resiliency of families by doing the monotonous parts of life together: laundry, meal time, childcare; a space where families can come and spend the day together, being productive and helping younger, sleep deprived parents rest and receive wisdom from older, experienced community members. This would be a multi-generational space where children are encouraged to eat with their parents and seniors come and function like mentors. In-house, private counseling services would be available for those times when the community needs to outsource the support. My dream is to provide community therapy through friendship and relationship. I am earning my degree in Clinical Social Work so that I can intelligently speak to the dynamics of both the individual psyche and how it fits into and benefits by community, even unpolished. I believe this is the most holistic way to tend to the mind, body and soul of a client. We were created to connect and are always stronger for it.

Social work was my goal from the time I was in high school. Life began to take it's own turns and I started to slow down my pace as I married and cared for my first two children. Eventually, in 2008 at age 26, I finished my B.S. degree but did not continue to my M.S. because the needs of the family were my main focus. I couldn't stay away though and decided to train as a doula so that I could support families while still maintaining a family friendly schedule. That was a beautiful season and I learned so much about what makes families strong and what young parents need to be resilient and learn to grow together. Those experiences, over the course of 10 years, also solidified for me that I needed to return and earn my M.S. in Clinical Social Work so that I can have the impact I want to have. My dream is to run a community organization that supports families through relationship before they experience strain instead of waiting until after they've suffered a crisis. In 2018 we welcomed our sixth child. Over the course of a year and a half beginning in 2018, I worked with a coach from S.C.O.R.E.. I knew it wasn't yet time to return to a Master's program but I also had to channel the energy for this dream. My coach helped me complete a business plan for this concept. It's called, The Trestle House, and I have been slowly building the concept and the layers of support it could provide. It begins with a kitchen and living room where members come and cook meals together and sit down to family style lunches. Children are cared for in adjacent rooms so that caregivers can make time for friendships and relationships needed to create a true community who mentors and comes alongside families as they weather life together. I envision multi-generational friendships, inviting senior citizens to fill the gap where distance and careers have separated biological families. Through the development of this dream I saw how my Master's in Clinical Social Work would bring depth to this concept and create a second tier of support when friendship alone is not enough. All the while my own children, currently ages 25, 18, 16, 12, 10 & 6, have been my focus. I desire stability and a rich family life for them while also desiring to help other families attain that same stability. When I am enjoying my family, I am compelled even more to find ways to support families in the community. When I am working with families, I crave time to go home and relish in the sweet gifts I've been given of husband, children and now even grandchildren. It is an ever evolving balance. Currently, I am in my 2nd year of my Clinical Social Work program and I recently accepted a wonderful position with Bridge of Hope Harrisburg as the Lead Program Case Manager. I spend my days working with homeless mothers, where our non-profit supports them for 1-2 years while they earn certifications or degrees that will allow them to be financially independent when they leave our program. It is a true joy to watch moms feel the relief of knowing they have support; and yet the organization values family and we are encouraged to always put our families before our work. I am so grateful to be living out what I believe to be my calling of both caring for my family while also helping others care for theirs.