Volunteering in Argentina

I've built my career around giving back and making a difference in people's lives. I studied pyschology in college where I also worked and volunteered with a variety of agencies providing mentoring, social support, and more. And continued my passion towards counseling and social work by pursuing  a master's degree in guidance and counseling, earning my LPC (licensed professional counselor), and also earning my Illinois Type 73 certification in School Counseling. 

I remember some of my first jobs working in social services. I taught art, I answered a crisis hotline, I mentored troubled youth, and gathered data for research projects focused on improving the community.

In graduate school I mentored university athletes and offered individual and group counseling to juvenile offenders locked up in youth detention centers and community mental health agencies. 

Since then I've worked with Hurricane Katrina victims, at-risk youth in transitional living, and elementary, middle, & high school age students. I spent my career working with minority populations and trying to make an impact in young people's lives.

I've heard and seen so much - both good and bad - in my fifteen plus years working in social services. And I want to continue offering my counseling services to those in need but I want to broaden my range by learning Spanish fluenty and studying and working in other cultures.

By doing so I feel I will be able to do even more for my students than I already do. Highlights of my career and some great activities and events I have organized include:

1) Writing grants for summer programs where I exposed students to several of the cities great opportunities and introduced them to professionals in a variety of fields. I was able to take students horseback riding, on boat tours, to some of the news stations, dining out at exotic locales, to yoga studios and museums, volunteering, and so much more.  

2) In 2010 I helped the school organize the very first lock-in for female students focused on self-esteem, sisterhood, and healthy choices. In 2011, I took complete ownership of the event and created ACE Tech Charter High School's annual Sleepover for Success (S4S) offering 60 plus girls a safe, structured, and supportive evening featuring motivational and guest speakers, workshops, interactive and fun activities, comraderie, and a positive environment for change. The event has been a huge success year after year and something the girls look forward to every year. This year I am also hoping to bring the first annual Boys Retreat to ACE.

3) During my 8 years at ACE Tech I founded and ran the school's first ever Student Council, Gay Staight Alliance, GRACE Group (Girls Reaching for Awareness, Character, and Excellence), and Cooking Club. To this day I still facilitate Student Council and Cooking Club. I've been able to organize massive events for the school, motivate my students, teach my students how take leadership, introduce my students to professional chefs, and so much more.

4) I have brought in many programs to ACE Tech including a support group for pregnant and parenting teens, an organization that encourages non-violent conflict resolution, and this year a program, Far'falla Girl, that helps young girls face their fears and their demons, deal with anger from the past, enhance self-esteem, and help them navigate towards a life of success.

5) I have held various fundraisers to support my students and be able to not only offer fun activities and events but also afford necessities in life that many of us take for granted such as food, clothing, and school fees.

6) And perhaps most important, over the years I have been able to instill a sense of hope and a belief in a future for several of my students who at a certain point in their young lives wanted to quit, given up, and sometimes go to extremes by taking their own lives.

It is my background and education but even more so my passion that affords me the ability and the drive to continue making a difference in young peoples' lives and I believe the more I evolve and experience and expose myself to life and opportunities the more I will be able to do for my students. 

With all that being said, this year I am travelng abroad starting with a week in South Africa to enrich myself in the culture and then I will be spending at least 6 weeks in Buenos Aires where I will take intense Spanish classes - small group and one-on-one instruction while also volunteering with social workers in Argentina working with different populations including the homeless and those suffering from addictions.

This trip and my studies will enhance my professional credentials and allow me to do even greater work by reaching more populations. Many of my students and their famililes are Latino and several don't speak English. By becoming fluent in Spanish I will be much better equipped to service all of my students and their families.

I have always been very focused, responsible, finanically smart, and goal-oriented. The cost of the program is approximately $5,000 and plane tickets range from $1,100-$1,600. I have already saved almost $3000 and have until June to earn and save the rest.

Any support is greatly appreciated. All donations are going directly into a goal-setters savings account I opened where I have already been saving my money. I know this trip and studies are going to happen and enhance my credentials and I am very much looking forward to it and the path it will lead me on as well as the doors it will open for me.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me and continues to support. I am so very appreciative.