About Me

​

I was born in Hawaii and have lived all over the United States. My rootless upbringing has afforded me an opportunity to interact with a wide variety of communities and family constellations, which in turn allows me to empathically connect more easily to those who are different from me. I so appreciate seeing the world as a rich melting pot and love celebrating differences as well as finding common connections.

 

As I reflect, I realize that I’ve been doing this type of social work my whole life and have finally arrived at the place where I belong. Although my early career was in higher education, I discovered that what I loved most about my job was connecting with students. As I continued along my career path, I appreciated the impact and ripple effect of trauma and loss on individuals within the context of their environment, as well as on all who love them. This is when I became aware that social work was the area in which I belonged. I realized that although I hadn’t yet learned the nuances of the field, I did know that I wanted to make a difference. With that goal in mind, I began a rigorous pursuit of its achievement and earned my MSW from Smith in the early ’90s, after which I embarked on a new career that has become my passion and life’s work.