It's mine so hush...

Here is the little video Alan took of my speech yesterday. I was soooooo nervous. I wish I would have smiled a little more, but over all, I think I did a pretty good job.

Dear friends, family, colleagues and mentors. I am so excited to be here today to celebrate with you, the end of this amazing adventure. As some of you witnessed on Facebook, I have been counting down the days for a few weeks now. Ok, maybe more like a few months. It wasn’t because I wanted out of class time or to be finished writing papers – well, maybe the paper part. But really, like many of you, I am eager to begin the next great adventure. Like most of us, I entered this program eager about the possibilities of what was to come. I appreciated the exciting process of grappling with new ideas, trying on theories, and experimenting with who I wanted to be as a social worker. I feel grateful that throughout this experience I was able form relationships that I knew would nourish me personally and professionally for the rest of my life. Yet, during this same exhilarating time of personal growth and development, we experienced the heartbreaking loss of valued members of our socia

Wow! Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I am done with grad school, again. In ten short days I'll be walking across the stage receiving my diploma. It seems so surreal. This time two years ago, I had just left BAH and literally on a whim, had applied for the MSW program. I had been talking about doing it for a couple of years, but I already had a Masters, and a job that I loved, so why bother. Then when BAH hired a new ED and it became crystal clear that we were not going to be able to work together in a meaningful fashion, I took the opportunity to get out. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but everywhere I applied, they wanted a MSW, not and MPA even with 12 years of experience. So back to school I went. I am really glad that I made that choice. I am so lucky that I was afford the opportunity the way I was. The universe has a plan for me, of this I am sure. I have been blessed with amazing internships, part-time jobs that have helped keep our family afloat, a