Sweet Southern Belle

Last night I participated in the graduation and hooding ceremony for my Master’s degree. My dear husband, Little Belle and I made the 2 ½ hour trip south for the ceremony. It was a long day but I’m thankful I went and was able to say “goodbyes” to my classmates and professors. Since the school requested that graduates arrive 1 ½ hours early just to sit around I had lots of time to reflect on the evening and what it meant to me.

One of the key principals of social work is empowerment. As social workers we aren’t to “fix” someone but to help the client “fix” him or herself. My classmate who spoke at the ceremony made a connection between those in our lives who empowered us to complete the degree and how we will in turn empower others. Her speech made me think about how much support I received through this process and how I would not have made it alone. We were not meant to travel alone in this world. We need one another. This principle has certainly been true for my journey through graduate school. I did not earn this degree alone but with the support of many.

1. I am grateful first to God for opening and closing the appropriate doors that lead me to graduate school and for allowing me to have the physical and mental health to complete the program.
2. My dear husband who supported my decision to enter graduate school from day one and has made many sacrifices of time and money for me to complete the degree. When I wanted to give up he encouraged me to keep going and has put up with my countless hours of whining about assignments and my level of stress.
3. My mama who has always believed in me. She taught me since I was very young that I could do anything I set my mind to. She supported me in many ways through this process and also made sacrifices of her time and money so that I could earn this degree
4. My two best friends, Kelley and Monica, who kept Little Belle for me to return to work long enough to ensure that I was able to continue my practicum and earn school credit (about 6 weeks). Since I had planned to return to work full-time after Little Belle was born and my working was a requirement of the school without their willingness to keep her I would have lost an entire semester. They took excellent care of Little Belle and loved her as if she was their own. ( I should also add that Kelley was 8 months pregnant at the time)
5. My practicum supervisor David, who is a wonderful mentor and teacher. He helped me wade my way through tricky clinical skills and murky ethical issues. And, his dear wife Meg who is his business manager and always kept me informed of when and where I was suppose to be.
6. Last but not least, my professors who taught and challenged me.