Help Jenn afford Graduate school!

Hi, my name is Jenn, and I am fundraising for myself in order to help raise money for my graduate program. A little about me, I am 40 years old, I have almost 13 years clean and sober, I am a full-time single mom, and I work in children's mental health services at a non-profit. I have overcome many forms of adversity which include childhood trauma, adult trauma, mental health struggles, alcoholism, devastating loss and grief and financial insecurities. I am needing some help to make this next dream come true, that being graduate school. I hope to obtain my master's in social work, and become even more skilled through education, in a profession I hope to spend the rest of my life working in.

As many of you know, I was recently accepted into the Advanced Standing Master of Social Work program. To be honest, I still can't believe I am here. It is truly a dream come true.

I fell in love with Social Work a little over 4 years ago. I think that love and passion have always been inside of me, I just didn't know it was called social work.

When I was hired as a family partner for a Wraparound program at Seneca Family of Agencies, (a non-profit agency that offers mental health services to children), that first year is when social work really took root in my heart. I was appalled and shocked at the things I saw. Active discrimination within various systems such as the education system, court system, and mental health systems. Minimal rights for foster youth. Inaccurate assessments and diagnosis. Inaccessible mental health services. Misconceptions around addiction and substance use within the mental health community. Different marginalized communities suffering from symptoms of systemic racism. It just ripped me open.

There was one kid in particular who stole my heart. They were a foster youth, and what I witnessed them go through that first year in my role, deeply impacted me. I almost quit to be honest because I felt so powerless to help them against these huge systems that were not hearing them or really taking the time to listen to what they were saying, including us. As a result, this kid spiraled, and their trauma increased. I felt responsible and broken. Multiple placements, drugs, hospitals, eventually jail. LOST in our systems. Instead of quitting, I thought, I need to do something. I made a decision to push myself and decided to go back to school. I changed my major from psychology to social work.

While I worked, I pushed myself also at school. It was hard. I am a single income mother and I do not get child support, as my son's dad has had his own struggles and not able to help. So, it has just been me (with the help of my parents and my son's other grandparents at times), pushing and grinding to better my son and I's life. When I went back to school, I was still at the junior college level despite being older. I pushed hard and worked even harder, while also working full time. My passion for social work, combined with my commitment to support my son and I, pulled out a part of me I had never known, and I flourished. I graduated San Jose City College with my AA degree in the midst of the pandemic in 2021. With the help of my amazing academic counselor Gina, as well as my brilliant EOPS Counselor Rose, I applied to SJSU for their Bachelor of Arts in Social Work program. I applied for scholarships, and to my amazement was awarded a couple prestigious ones, including the Chang Scholarship. I was accepted into the BASW program at San Jose State and started immediately after I received my AA.

I worked extremely hard academically, while also working passionately at my job. The more I learn and experience, the more I recognized I need to UN-learn, and learn anew. My senior year of my BASW program was INTENSE. I was working 32 hours a week at my job, interning 16 hours unpaid at the Department of Family and Children's Services, while taking 5 classes, 2 of which were in person, while also raising my son who was 7 and 8 at the time.

In 2023, I graduated from San Jose State, on the Dean's list, with a 3.8 GPA and was also awarded 2023 Outstanding BASW student in Field Education from SJSU School of Social Work Department. Getting my BASW was an amazing experience, but even more so was discovering this part of myself that is brilliant, talented, and a fierce advocate for the communities I work within.

When I came into this work, it was as if my spirit took a deep breath and said, "finally, it is time," and I have been all in since.

I am excited for graduate school, and even more so learning about policy and how it impacts government assistance and accessibility to our most vulnerable populations. Working at a non-profit, I see first-hand how vital our contracts/funding are, to being able to provide direct care to the children and families I work with. I also see the importance of accountability through research and data, to improve outcomes and ensure effectiveness of services. I want to learn more, so that I may one day be a grant/proposal writer for agencies that are doing the hard work directly in our communities effectively, or a public servant that advocates for the most vulnerable populations (children, women, mentally ill, homeless, addicts/alcoholics, undocumented).

I took the advice of a dear professor of mine who told me to take a year off, and so when it was time, after giving myself a rest, I applied to the advanced standing MSW program, and here I am. I am slated to begin classes in June, with a one-year program that would have me graduating in June of 2025 with my MSW.

But I need some help to make this dream come true.

This program is EXPENSIVE!! By expensive, I mean over $20,000. I have been filling out scholarships left and right. As a fulltime single parent who works at a non-profit, I don't make much. Nicholas and I get by, but not with much left over. So, I am putting myself out there, and asking you all for some help. I know I am here because of so many of you who have pushed me, believed in me, encouraged me and told me I CAN!! If I am able to do this, afford this and get through this program, it will also be because of so many of you, and again the support.

And if you can't help out financially, that's ok. You can still share this for me, and maybe offer a shout out. Another huge thing you can do is pray for me. I am asking for PRAYERS!!! I know there is great power in prayer, and I will be equally as grateful!!!

Your donation will go directly towards my tuition.

Thank you for being on this journey with me!!

Kindly and with gratitude,

Jenn