I’ve always known I wanted to go into social work and work with people that shared my past and things that I’ve dealt with. My mentor back when I was at the Mission as a kid, Ben, was so pivotal to my life for so long as a father figure. The Mission gave me him. Now, I’m in the mentor role. I really am in the career that I’ve been wanting for a long time. It’s always been my passion and my goal.
I’m finally where I’ve always wanted to be. The mission gave me that, too. The way that the Mission has helped me is the reason I’m here now. I am a testament to the good work being done here. The Mission gave me what I needed as a kid and just knowing that it has always been here, if I ever needed it. I share that with my guys, my clients.
I believe so much in lived experience. Because it’s real and it’s not fake. They can see and hear it. When I say that I have been through almost every single aspect that all these guys have been through, I mean it. The homelessness, the addiction, all these things. If everything I dealt with and have gone through helps somebody else, that’s a win. If somebody can take away from my experience and do better for themselves, that’s a win. It’s something to just to see and be a part of because it’s a beautiful thing to really see change happen in someone’s life.
