As an adolescent, I have had many relationships with school counselors and social workers who played a big part in whom I have become. In middle school, I struggled a lot socially due to frequent moves. This caused difficulties finding myself while trying to adapt to new environments. I moved to North Carolina, Louisiana, and New York during middle school. Each move was a major adjustment emotionally and mentally; because I was labeled as the new girl, the struggle to feel belonged grew on me, causing me to act out in ways that sought out attention. By meeting with a social worker, I was able to see the advantages of moving and meeting different people. These professionals have grown to be my favorite people in the world. In my eyes, social workers are heroes. They are reliable individuals who are capable and responsible for meeting your social, emotional, and mental needs. Because of them, I found beauty in my uniqueness and used it to my advantage. Adapting to new locations became a lot easier for me throughout high school: I attended three different high schools, one being an International school in North Macedonia. Coming to a developing country in Eastern Europe for the first time had a major culture shock on me. Since I was around individuals that looked nothing like me and had different upbringings than me, I was intrigued to get involved on our school campus. I observed that a lot of the students at my school were drained and depressed. I made it my duty to bring life back to our campus. I organized my own spirit team that brought the joy that our school was missing. This was a fun yet creative way to encourage school spirit, a positive culture, and most importantly- unity among students. I saw a need and used my personal interests and creativity to execute the plan. This was one of my greatest accomplishments. From someone that used to struggle socially to then introducing a successful social perspective to an international school was phenomenal. Moving forward, life on campus was a lot more pleasurable. This experience proved to me that I am capable of stepping out of my box to satisfy my passion. Empowering the youth has always been a priority for me. My life wouldn’t be the same without giving back what was given to me. We can’t pick our upbringings, but we can control our lifestyle. Giving hope and motivation to the hopeless is my main goal. I want to take on these responsibilities for the kids in minority communities. I know what it feels like to want to be accepted and treated equally by others. Giving hope to those that lack hopeful thoughts is something I will always strive to do. I want to make a life-changing impact on kids in these communities. I beleive I have what it takes to become a perfessional social worker. I know that after I complete the Bachelors of Social Work program, I will withhold the background knowledge which would allow me to achieve my goals efficiently. A primary goal of mine after graduation is to start a non-profit organization that connects youth from all over the world to fellowship and growth together. This would involve connecting teachers and students with classroom pen pals to normalize individuality and positive culture. My focus is to aid minority children that come from underprivileged backgrounds. I am excited to take on this challenge to fulfill the needs of the youth population.

Hello, my name is Nilija Foendoe. I am currently a junior in college pursuing a career in social work. Hidradenitis Suppurativa is a chronic skin condition that is triggered by a person's sweat glands and inflammation. Symptoms of H.S. are and not limited to abscesses, terrible acne, pus, swelling, and ulcers. I have had Hidradenitis Suppurativa for nine years. When I first started showing symptoms, I didn't know what exactly was going on in my body. I began to notice blisters on my armpits that then developed into large boils which caused me to have an extreme lack of confidence in middle school. At the time, I thought it was just a serious case of ingrown hair bumps- it turned out to be something a lot more serious. Hidradenitis Suppurativa shows up in areas that have many sweat glands. Common areas of HS on a woman’s body are her armpits, groin area, and under her breasts. All of my favorite sports hobbies, such as volleyball, dance, and cheerleading came to an end. After some time, I started noticing symptoms of H.S. in other areas of my body. This is when my suspiciousness began to heighten. Throughout high school, I’ve seen many dermatologists but unfortunately, no one was able to truly identify what was going on. I went home every time with no answers. Just as the symptoms under my armpit, the symptoms in my groin area developed and got worse. H.S. boils can grow to as big as the size of a golf ball. I remember a time when I was limping around school due to swelling and discomfort. My mind was full of curiosity and suspicions. After graduating from high school, my family and I moved to New York where I attended Queensborough Community College. During this transition, I noticed a new H.S. symptom in my breast area. The pain was unbearable and very difficult to handle. I decided to go see another dermatologist in hopes of getting some answers for once. The moment she saw my scarring and H.S. boils she knew exactly what it was. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I immediately began crying because it has been a long journey of pain and the unknown. Moving forward from that day I was able to get the proper education on H.S. I learned that Hidrentitis Suppurativa is an untreatable condition that is caused by inflammation in the human body. It wasn’t easy to hear that there isn’t a cure for this condition. It has been an ongoing battle of accepting this matter. Over the past 2 years, I have been using Humira which is a very high dose of Adalimumab. Humira shots are self-injected once a week to control the symptoms that might appear. A person’s immune system is directly affected when an individual takes Humira. I’m currently trying to find natural ways to limit the inflammation in my body so I can reduce the number of shots I’m taking. I have plans in starting my own brand/podcast empowering women and young ladies. I have grown to become very confident in my identity and one day will love to share my journey with other women. Thank you for this opportunity to share my story. There are a lot of us around who suffer from Hidradenitis Suppurativa but it does not get much recognition. It’s very pleasing to know that people are thinking of us and care to hear our stories. I hope to one day raise awareness of all my fellow purple ribbon identifiers. We got this!

Giving back to minoritiy communities is the main reason why I wanted to pursue a career in Social work. As an adolescent, I have had many relationships with school counselors and social workers who played a big part in whom I have become. In middle school, I struggled a lot socially due to socially due to frequent moves. This caused difficulties finding myself while trying to adapt to new environments. Each move was a major adjustment emotionally and mentally; because I was labeled as the new girl, the struggle to feel belonged grew on me, causing me to act out in ways that sought out attention. Difficulties ranged from not being able to fit in and make friends, to becoming socially uncomfortable. Having access to a social worker and a counselor helped me voice my struggles in ways I never knew I could. I was able to see the advantages of moving and meeting different people. These professionals have grown to be my favorite people in the world. Having a social worker helped me voice my struggles and get the help I need to turn what I thought was a burden into my passion. Social workers are reliable individuals that are capable and responsible for meeting your social, emotional, and mental needs. Because of them I found beauty in my uniqueness and used them to my advantage. Adapting to new locations became a lot easier for me throughout high school: I attended three different high schools, one being an International school in North Macedonia. Coming to a developing country in Eastern Europe for the first time had a major culture shock on me. Since I was around individuals that had different upbringings than me, I was intrigued to get involved on our school campus. I observed that a lot of the students at my school were drained and depressed. I made it my duty to bring life back to our campus. I organized my own spirit team that brought the joy and youthfulness that our school was missing. This was a fun yet creative way to encourage school spirit, a positive culture, and most importantly- unity among students. I saw a need and used my personal interests and creativity to execute the plan. This was one of my greatest accomplishments. Moving forward, life on campus was a lot more pleasurable. A lot more smiles and warm welcomings. This experience proved to me that I am capable of stepping out of my box to satisfy my passion. Empowering the youth has always been a priority for me. My life wouldn’t be the same without giving back what was given to me. We can't choose are upbringing but we can control our lifestyle. Giving hope and motivation to the hopeless is my main goal. I want to take on these responsibilities for the kids in our minority communities. A huge goal of mine after graduation is starting a non-profit organization that connects youth from all over the world to fellowship and grow together. I want to connect teachers and students with classroom pen pals to normalize individuality and positive culture. Social Media has become the new doings of today. Usage of my social media will help me promote my nonprofit and get a lot of kids involved. Being active on Instagram, Twitter, and the new TikTok platform will attract the audience I am looking for. I know that my social skills, dedication, and creativity will drive me through this goal of mine. I am excited to take on this challenge to fulfill the needs of the youth population.