Where to begin?
A throughline in my life has been about blurring lines; my memoir would be named "Lessons in Overcomplicating".
I'm a being that throughout my life has been labeled "too sensitive" or cares too much. I see patterns, I see connections, and I get overwhelmed by the weight of it all.
But lessons taken from the stories that I love, and love hard, is hope and opportunity. In many ways, I operate in the gray, and easily understand nuance. In others, I have fierce opinions that I share with those who I keep close.
I entered Stetson University in DeLand, FL in 2012, excited, nervous, but open. I started out in Stetson's Discovery Program knowing that my heart and interests were pulled in so many different directions. The Discovery Program lets you take time to explore different courses for two years.
Come my junior year, I had taken enough Environmental Science classes that I decided to declare a major in Environmental Studies and Geography with a Fine Arts minor - but I was the only one in my cohort pursuing a Bachelor of Arts instead of a Bachelor of Science. I was the odd one out, but I wasn't interested in soil and water samples, though I know and appreciate the value in its sciences. I'm an external processor - and when talking through my doubts about my path with my advisor, because the road to self confidence is a never ending one, I received impactful advice that I haven't forgotten 10 years later.
He said, "We know about the climate. The science is there. But why is action taken so late, or picked up so slowly. This is the social science of environmentalism and this deserves to be further explored. This is where our opportunities are."
I completed my Senior Research in understanding the relationship between Environmental Art and Environmental Movements from 1960's - Present (2016). Through fantastical installations, how are people relating to place and to nature? How might we be able to reflect on our perceived separation from nature and gain an understanding that we are a part of it through art? What harm may be caused? So many questions, impossible to answer, sometimes.
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Through the social sciences, (and an incredible class in high school) I was also attracted to Psychology. While finishing school, I made sure to take all art and psychology classes needed to be able to qualify for an application to an Art Therapy program.
Graduation came and I took it hard. Up until then, life was prescribed. You got to school. You go to college. You graduate. but what next? In 2017, I became an AmeriCorps VISTA member in Knoxville, TN, motivated by the need to challenge the administration and do right by a community - besides, I wasn't brave enough to join the Peace Corps.
I was placed at the University of Tennessee's FUTURE Program - a post-secondary education track for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. AmeriCorps VISTA, specifically focuses on poverty alleviation in our communities. People with I/DD generally do not have access to financial opportunity, and much of society doubts their abilities, hence our existing systems that are inaccessible and exclusive. The aim of FUTURE is to prepare our students for the future, and the future for them, through the learning of academic, social, and vocational skills to prepare them for success in the workplace, while also providing a college experience. Students are placed in internships during their time in the program, take FUTURE courses and audit University of Tennessee classes that interest them, and participate in a range of on-campus activities. I recruited, trained, scheduled, and managed a group of 90+ peer mentors that worked with our students, shadowing them to classes, helping with homework, or going out for coffee or lunch. Person-centered planning meetings were a priority for us in ensuring our students and their families were successful throughout the year. I managed the outreach of the program, built the branding, and wanted to let people know on campus, Knoxville, and Greater Tennessee that FUTURE and its students are HERE. Outreach allowed me to recruit more peer mentors, as well as prospective FUTURE students and their families.
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