Mark's Education: A New Chapter Begins

My name is Mark. I'm 38 and going back to school. This is one of those life events that gets whole chapters devoted to it in a memoir. I know how pivotal this moment is in my life story.

For the last twenty years, I have pursued a specific vocation. I attended Eastern University for my undergraduate degree in pastoral ministry. I served as a Quaker minister at West Hills Friends Church in Portland, Oregon, for fourteen of those twenty years.

I feel that I've reached the end of that particular path, so I've decided to start a new one. Beginning this summer, I will attend Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. I will be a student in their Masters of Social Work program. My family and I will live on campus from June until August as I attend classes. In the fall we will return to Portland and I will begin my internship. We will remain in Portland from September 2025 - May 2026 before I return for the second summer on campus. This pattern will repeat, culminating in my graduation in the summer of 2027.

Upon completing the program, I hope to apply my education to providing mental health services to individuals and groups in the Portland metro area. I also hope to continue finding ways to write and interact with the broader culture through published works.

This is a substantial financial risk for me and my family. It is uncertain if my thirty-hour-per-week internships will be paid positions. Even if they are, our family will experience a significant decrease in monthly income while still finding ways to pay for housing, insurance, food, and other life necessities while I am in school.

I am asking for help so that we may lessen the burden of anxiety about our finances while I focus on my education. These donated funds will help us weather the uncertain financial challenges of the next three years.

We sincerely appreciate the gift of friendship and support across many communities. The Pratt-Russum family is dedicated to the work of liberation, justice, and joy for all humans, especially those continually (and systematically) underserved. Supporting us in this life transition will equip us to continue doing this work, thank you so much.