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I chose youth and community development because I see a need to help nurture and empower our families and communities all around. Another big component of this was well wanting to know more about myself and how to advocate for others like myself. I had a childhood filled with drugs, suicides, and both physical and verbal abuse constantly.  It was a very dark time. I had to grow up fast and give up much of my childhood years. Which ultimately affected the way I developed. So, by choosing this, I learned more about how to better our development for success later on in life and by doing so I am hoping to give back with direction and purpose to our youth.

I didn't have much experience working with the community prior to coming to WMU. I worked a full-time job in high school supporting my household. Yet, I was in the National Honors society, and we did clean ups and events to assist our community. Alone I can recall going and buying food then donating it to people and their families on my own. It wasn't until I was on campus that I began working in Adult Foster Care homes and volunteering at schools that really gave me my footing with working in our communities.

Everyone at WMU is so amazing! It would be so hard to pick a favorite, especially when everyone leaves a little impact on you. But, if I had to choose a favorite person, it would be Mark the retired Foundation Scholarships director. He was a huge motivation and reason that I was able to push through college.

As for my career goals, I'm not entirely sure yet as to what a concrete goal would be. Currently, I am a registered behavioral technician and I work with children that have autism. I have my RBT license and credentials. But, if I'm thinking long run, truthfully I am not sure where I hope to be at. Money isn't important to me, this world isn't going to be good enough on money alone. Truthfully, I guess whatever is in store for me, I hope I just make a huge impact on the lives I touch.

As for the internship, I was responsible for data collection, inputting data and also printing out our questionnaires that got sent out monthly. A lot of my responsibilities included keeping stock of the mailroom and doing projects. One of my favorites memories was when I was able to partake in a community event where we read to kids and also got to talk with parents and encourage them to enroll their kids into a free program that is so beneficial!

The most important thing I learned from my internship is that it doesn't matter how small or big you are. As long as you start somewhere, you can make a difference. You don't have to be the largest company, or the smallest. Change and being able to assist those around is immeasurable.