Hayden (my partner)
In any capacity, having a supportive life partner is immensely beneficial to success throughout life. I am blessed to have just that! Hayden has been in my life for just shy of 5 years. He shattered my relationship expectations and leftover biases I had from previous relationships. I often say to people that make remarks about me having an impressive professional background that “it is easy to be a remarkable man, when he has a remarkable army behind him”. In other words, my success in life has been and will always be a result of surrounding myself with beautiful people, the most important being Hayden.
Hayden is a stubborn man, similar to me. We both feel very confidently about the way life “should” work, and usually have no problem sharing that. The difference is, he knows how to boss me around where I listen, and then with him, I haven’t quite mastered that same art of suggestion. I mean this in the most positive way possible. He knows that being direct and reminding me of both my short and long-term goals constantly helps me maintain focus and motivation. Hayden helps me organize my weeks, he supports my physical and mental health through compassionate dialogue, he helps me orient myself and my time, and even gives me criticism when I need to hear it. The awesome thing is, we communicate specifically about what each other needs, and then actually follow through and do it. It is probably the thing that benefits me the most in my professional life and academia. Having someone in my life like this had made every roadblock to succeeding in college graduation and beyond so much easier to navigate around.
Dr. Kelly Wonder
Dr. Wonder is the first woman who encouraged me to get a degree beyond my undergraduate degree. If fact, the thought had previously never even crossed my mind. That first year of college, I recall feeling like I did not belong or was not smart enough to succeed to begin with. I had the pleasure of meeting her at an on-campus event my first week of college. She oversees the McNair program at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. The McNair program is a preparatory program for first-generation, non-traditional, low-income, and/or minority undergraduate students for advanced study (Masters or PhD) through structured involvement in research and professional development related activities that take place throughout your undergraduate career.
Dr. Wonder has supported me in many ways throughout my undergraduate experiences. For example, she introduced the McNair program to me and encouraged me to join. She actually took the time to meet with me to learn about my strengths, struggles, insecurities, professional aspirations, professional history, and goals. When the going got tough, she reminded me that that math class, though spirit-crushingly difficult, was just a very small piece in the puzzle that will be my life. She helped me find resources on campus, like the Services for Students with Disabilities office, the university writing center, the math tutoring labs, and so much more. In fact, my first paid job in Eau Claire at the Bolton Refuge House was because of a mutual friend. Dr. Wonder is an exceptional staff member at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and contributed to my success as an undergraduate student in countess ways. The world is lucky to have her!
Alfred Claude (AC)
AC will always be the most exceptional man I have ever met. His friendship came with a lot of firsts for me. He was my first “real life” boss. He was the first friend I made when working in Washington D.C. He was the first federally appointed official I had ever met. He was the first person to tell me I needed a formal education to complete my goals. He was the first person of color I became close friends with (Shawano, Wisconsin is not a very diverse place). AC was the first person I met in my life who I believed put the good of every other human ahead of his personal interests, and I work to embody his service-oriented sprit every day.
AC was a Voluntary Agency Liaison Group Supervisor in the Federal Emergency Management Headquarters office. 500 C Street is where I met this man, who quickly because my emergency management mentor. He showed me every professional tool I have today when it comes to working in crisis management and immediate onset crisis response. His work with National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) saved countless lives and is the model that is still used in all 50 states today. He encouraged me to meet everyone I could at every disaster(and keep a notebook, that I call upon at least monthly), helped me land my first job as paid full-time federal emergency manager within the Department of Homeland Security, and advocated for volunteers when I was an AmeriCorps volunteer the year prior Sadly, we lost AC last year.
In short, AC was a profoundly kind, gentle, selfless man and an incredible mentor. Though I will always miss him, his memory is honored in perpetuity through the countless lives he touched as a model, public servant and friend.
Final Reflection
In closing, I will continue to create supports as I step into my professional role by networking daily and maintaining those connections, leaning consistently on my current support systems in place, and working to be candid about my needs as an employee/professional/elected official etc.
By remembering all the invaluable lessons not only the three individuals listed above taught me, but all my professors, family and friends, I can better succeed in the professional field of social work. I am looking for advice, brainstorming, professional opinions, research suggestions, and workplace understanding from my fellow co-workers/social workers. From my supervisor, depending on the role. I will be looking for weekly supervision (especially at the beginning of my practice), guidance for ethics questions, and support managing workplace conflict(s) that I was unable to address fully myself. As for professional mentoring relationships, I do believe that having one in each workplace yields more success and I intend on continuing to do that in my professional life.