Leadership
e-Portfolio
Applied Work Based Learning Experience
Diversity
Entrepreneurship
Research
Service Learning 
 

In the LeADERS program, I completed 4 of the areas of intensive learning. 
Applied Work Based learning Experience - this was actually met twice through a Case Management, Crisis and Field Observation course which required me to do volunteer hours in the field so I volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate acting as the eyes and ears of the judge on cases for children that were labeled either neglected or abused. I also became a facilitator for a grief support group for teens ages 12-17.  
In completing this, I also took an academic internship where I worked as an outpatient intern and eventually was hired onto the team as their Outpatient Clinical Intake Coordinator. I have been able to speak with people in the community that were dealing with a plethora of things such as custody battles, addiction, homelessness, depression, anxiety, and so much more.
Diversity - In participating in the Diversity aspect of this program, I took a Diversity Issues course. In this course, we discussed diversity in every way you would imagine and then some. I did 2 big projects in this course; one was about video games being sexist (or not) and I did a lot of research on the history of the "damsel in distress" world of video games. I also did a project highlighting how a woman was turned away by numerous NBL jobs, however, she changed her name on her resume and was called in by the Yankees for an interview. To their surprise, she showed up and they were expecting a man. They ended up hiring her for her incredible knowledge and background, however, she ended up leaving and saying that she felt she was hired as a publicity stunt. These projects showed the hurdles that women face in the world, specifically in "male dominated" areas such as video games and baseball. My favorite assignment from this course was being able to do deep reflection on myself with an age diversity project. In this, I had to write a letter to myself at 50 years old telling myself what I want to be proud of, what I want to feel, what I hope I am doing and so much more. This was humbling as the elderly community is very often looked over and it is nice to remember that they are still people living this life and having the human experience for the first time just like we all are.
Research - I took 2 heavy research courses in my time at ODU. One course was the addiction treatment and research, which was an incredible experience. In this course, I was required to actually go out into the field and observe support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA). Being that I was going out and observing these groups for a class credit, I did have to get a signature sheet signed each time which made opportunities to talk to the people that were leading the groups and that was scary at first, yet so very valuable. The facilitators I met were so open and encouraging to me being there. As for the participants, I experienced the same warmth for many of them. I had to introduce myself as a student each meeting to ensure that everyone was aware of a new person in the group and make sure there was safety acknowledged in me being there. I had to then break down my experience, observations and personal research that was done throughout this experience to build a better grasp on this disease and the people that it affects. 
I also took a program evaluation course where I was provided a program, similar to a 12-step program/group, and my assignment for the entire course was the break down this program from the inside out evaluating it from agency documents to participant interviews and proof the needs and goals and successes of the program. This was a great experience as there are many times we see a program and do not realize all the nitty gritty things that go into making it a sustainable resource to people.
e-Portfolio - Last but not least, this virtual portfolio! It is made so that there is a space where I can showcase my experiences, education, research, projects, and missions. I feel as though we could think out it as a "professional" blog as it will be something I come to update throughout the years so that I can track what I do, where I go, and what I accomplish.

Reflections of my experience in these courses:

• What did you like about your experience?  What did you dislike? What did you value most about this experience?
  I was excited to take these courses because I knew that I would be challenged and I definitely was. I went in feeling like I had a good grasp on what addiction was and what being a human services professional was, but I realized quickly that there was much to learn. The professors that taught these courses are unmatched. They came with a wealth of knowledge, and some even still working in the field as active human service professionals. Getting this insight and gaining the knowledge from people that were so involved was incredible. I also feel like the students, my peers in this program, is the biggest value. I met people and learned alongside people that truly cared so much about helping people, the research and field work and understanding of diversity in every way that is required to be successful in this field of work. 

• How have you been able to apply what you have learned in other settings? How will these concepts/experiences be useful to you in the future?
  As I mentioned in my introduction, I worked as a caseworker for the duration of my Senior Year and there was a lot that I was learning in class that I would then be able to take into work all in the same week. It all made so much sense and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to continue being a student all while having the opportunity to put these skills to the test with real people in real life. This was something as simple as not only how to write a progress note or an individualized service plan and relapse plan, but honestly what they even look like. I was given more than just the fundamentals of helping people, but truly how to do it in a way that is trauma informed and effective. This is valuable to me for the sole reason that I need to know all of this just to get an entry level job in the field. I need to know how to document, how to observe and how to report and that is exactly what was taught in each of these classes while improving my understanding of field research, supervision needs and diverse, cultural competency. 

• What did you learn about yourself through completing this experience?
  Something that I learned about myself that I did not really pay much attention to beforehand is that I AM HUMAN. I have biases internally even though I thought that I didn't. As humans, we all have personal biases. So in my research and learning of diversity and taking all of this to the field in my work - I had to become even more aware of myself than I was before as a way to truly serve people without judgement, with empathy and unconditional positive regard. 

• What were some interesting discoveries or insights you made?
  Through the research that I did, I was able to gain a deeper understanding about so many things like how addiction is a disease and the effects it has on people, but also how treatment plans are designed, what the need is for support groups and how programs function from the inside out. There is so much that goes into treatments and programs and a lot of it has to do with policies from a macro standpoint, where the community workers like myself, work from a very micro standpoint. 

• What was a powerful learning moment and what made it so?
  When we think about diversity, we tend to immediately go to thinking about race, but diversity is so much more than that. There were case presentations and case reports that were used as tools to teach us while in the research and diversity based courses, and they were very beneficial to my understanding of cultural competency. In finding that diversity was also age and gender, I realized that there were many times I ran into situations that diversity and cultural competence was not respected or accepted. In my work, often times, I was dealing with parents. This was hard because I was younger than them in every instance and I also did not have kids. I had to learn how to make myself aware of their own feelings towards me and find ways to break those barriers while respecting their stance in it all. I had to learn that just because I was younger did not mean that I didn't belong in working with them, I just had to find ways to connect with them and that was through having open conversations, being empathetic towards their situation and understanding that I had a lot to offer in their journey. 

• What was a challenging moment and what made it so? 
  My diversity and research courses really intertwined when it came to working in the field and having that field experience. When I went to an AA meeting for my research class, I was forced to understand the diversity I was going to be exposed to. I went in feeling nervous and quickly asked myself "why"? Why was I nervous going into a meeting just to purely observe and do academic research in a sense as to how these groups operate? I was nervous because I didn't want anyone to think I was going there as one of them and that was a big slap in the face. I had spent so many hours doing research and gaining understanding of this disease, stereotypes, these programs, and the diversity just within the disease because it does not discriminate... and I was nervous. I had to really check in on my personal biases and evaluate this before going into the meeting because I was so wrong. These were people that were showing up for HELP and SUPPORT and that is all I want to provide to the world.

• Why is it important for someone in your field to have these skills? How will these skills be useful to you in future professional settings?
  There are 8 traits that you have to possess as human service professional and one of them is empathy. As cliché as it is to say these days, I think that is the most important trait to have as a human being, but especially as a human service professional. In working with such a diverse group of people, different populations and in different settings - we will come across so many stories and we need to have empathy for the situations that we sit in front of on a daily basis. We need to always be diversely aware and culturally competent, we need to stay up to date with research and the evolution of different treatments and ways to go about helping people in different situations. This is how we succeed in helping the people that we work with.

• What did you learn about your strengths and areas for improvement when it comes to these skills? How might you apply these skills or insights in your career or in graduate school?
  A strength I feel I have is that I am open to working with all people and I have not requested to be held back from any situations because I truly do want exposure and I want experience with all people because I feel I could help anyone who is wanting the help. Overall, I learned that I need to always stay aware of my own personal thoughts and feelings to ensure that I never transfer any of that onto a client. This is something I think will be an active area to improve of for all people for the rest of our life. I am also open to learning and I always want to be up to date with what is new and what is improving so that I can offer my clients options in their treatment. I think a big area of improvement will be that I need to understand that I have to prioritize myself and self care so that I can deliver support in the best way possible for others. I do one day want to go the graduate school and I feel like having the space to continue learning and being open ad being aware will catapult me in future programs and opportunities.