March is National Social Work Month! I am 11 years into my social work journey. I wasn’t always a social worker. In my previous life I was a Packaging Engineer. Packaging was a major that I stumbled upon while attending a week long summer camp at Michigan State University (Go Green! Go White!) while in high school. During that week I met two individuals that would help me to make the transition to college two years later. One person was a MSU student and we would exchange several handwritten letters via mail (long before cellphones, social media and texting existed) where she would answer all of my questions related to college. The other person was the director of the summer camp. She held a Ph.D and I recalled being in awe at her education and her willingness to mentor me upon my arrival at MSU. I am still in contact with both of them some twenty-five plus years later.

Lesson 1: Connections, friendships and human interactions have meaning. Positive life long connections are a necessity and help to bring light to everyday situations.

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