Personal and/or Professional MISSION STATEMENTS Summer 2009

1. Personaland/orProfessionalMISSIONSTATEMENTSSummer 2009

2. I walk through life, mindfully, appreciating each step. • I am a loyal, dependable friend; one that listens thoughtfully, • speaks considerately, and follows through continuously. • I walk through life, with awareness, growing emotionally and intellectually. • I am a source of strength for my family, an anchor of support. • And yet, I am also aware of my instinctive need for self-care, nurturance from others, and love. • I walk through life, with concern, understanding when and how to serve others. • I am an active force in the community, serving as an ally and advocate for those who need help, encouragement, and collaboration. • I walk through life, with good humor, embracing the ability to laugh at life, and most importantly, myself. • When life stress takes hold—tightening its grasp around me, I loosen my grip and let go. Through relaxation and breath, I am able to • cope more efficiently, tap higher levels of resiliency, and just be.

3. Laura Waterfield • I walk through life, with grace, trusting that control is a façade. And yet, with grace, I am like a sinuous palm tree blowing with the wind, able to • withstand torrid storms. • As the stormy times of life begin to stir in the lives of those around • me, my aura and life energy will be sustaining, positive, warm, • and approachable—providing an atmosphere of hope, trust, • and unconditional acceptance. • I walk through life, with community as my heart center. I dedicate my life to serving others. • I am driven to provide for those around me. Through consistent community outreach, emotional and physical persistence, • and undying determination, wonderful changes are made possible. • I walk through life, with the soul purpose of making a difference. • This “difference” is not dependent upon financial gain, social status, or • recognition. This difference is one I will know because I will feel it in • my heart and it will show in my smile when I see the evidence in those whom I help. • I am a loving, kind, and sensitive person. • I walk through life, mindfully, appreciating each and every step.

4. Barbara Anne Morey My life is a tapestry of memories that help me see through the eyes of others. For as many years as I have remaining on this earth, I will do all that I can to help those who are troubled, give heart to those who have been victimized, and minister to the mentally ill. I will be an advocate, a comforter, a healer. Most of all, I will be a source of support so that others may once again love themselves.

5. Elliott Merrill • It is my mission to make the time I spend with my family and friends the most important thing in my life by being open, honest, and ready to listen even when I am busy. • I will learn to find joy in living life with a sense of insanity, because life should be led this way or else no one will ever notice when you are being normal.

6. Amanda Santos • I will thrive in this life by continually enriching it with knowledge, love, self awareness, and service. I will show my appreciation and respect for the earth and each unique individual on it. But I will only be fully alive if I can spread this to the world and inspire change.

7. Julie Nestle • I have set sail. This limitless journey prevails, as I seek evolution and a revolution. • In the face of rough waters, my passions and convictions for social justice will not fail. • I will invite others to set sail. With humility and humbleness, be their guiding light, and understand their plight. • When I am tired and weak from whipping rains, find the crew, hold on, and let down my anchor. Search for my inner wisdom. Reach for support. Mindfulness, serenity, discernment, and spirituality help to stay the course. • Fully aware, critical consciousness, change the route with thoughtfulness. • Look deeply. Look down that barrel that gathers, bends, and reflects back the light. Be forever changed with each sight. • Greet each breathe of ocean air. Celebrate the salt that hits my skin. Embody the privilege to live, witness the beauty in life, and dream with the stars every night.

8. Amanda Stickney • A mission for myself….. • To maintain the strong connection I have with my family… by remaining a loyal, loving, and supportive member. • To surround myself with those who are loyal, kind, genuine, and honest. • To stay challenged…. striving for fulfillment, achievement, and sense of purpose not only within my occupation but within my daily life. • To find the motivation and drive that hides within me…becoming the triathlete and runner I have dreamed of. • To take time for relaxation, enjoyment, and appreciation of the individuals and environment that surrounds me. • To maintain myself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually… • Thus creating the individual I want to be…. • The individual who not only has, but provides, love, support, compassion, energy, strength, knowledge, and kindness.

9. Jack Jordan • Recognizing that all things human fall short of their ideal my fundamental purpose in life is to be authentic, happy, and fulfilled. This desire for me is achieved through realizing higher levels of self-esteem, finding meaningful work and to have a full and active social life. As a relational man, I seek to maintain, develop, and sustain personal and professional relationships with others, which will help me to grow and to draw out the kinder and more loving part of myself. It is this kinder self which I hope to emulate in my counseling practice both in my internship and beyond. While I do not have an overriding passion to work with a particular client population, I do feel a sense of awe when considering the possibility of contributing to and facilitating a process with future clients wherein they can make changes enabling them to thrive, for their life to work better, or at least for their life to become more manageable. I also am aware that not all problems experienced by individuals and/or groups are the result of pathology or even cognitive distortions but may arise from oppressive environmental factors. Therefore, I recognize the importance of social justice counseling and systemic advocacy. This is because I recognize that my desire to facilitate systemic as well as individual change results from my own experience with individual pain, discrimination and marginalization as well as the benefits I received from counseling. I hope that through my professional and personal relationships I make some small positive impact on the lives of people with whom I interact and that many of them can positively contribute toward my own growth and development. After all, we are ultimately interdependent on one another for our growth and survival. Finally, although the work I will be undertaking as a mental health counselor is serious, I always strive to keep in mind that I do not have all the answers, I have my own issues and I am not above the common foibles of human nature, as such I want to be patient and kind towards myself and by extension learn to be patient and kind towards others.

10. RJ Manchester • To live life fully with loyalty and honesty to myself and to others. • To educate myself to contribute to my understanding of life and experience and to share this understanding with others. • To create an environment of security, free from both physical and emotional threats. • To encourage exploration of creativity, intelligence, and accomplishment in myself and others.

11. Cindy Knott • Growing toward fulfillment in my life means loving God by serving others. • I serve as a mirror reflecting the love and hopefulness that I see in the world and extending it to others to claim as their own. • I serve as a window offering a view of love, hope, and wisdom to those who have not been given a vantage point to see. • I serve as one small piece of glass created from the sands of the earth and challenged to sparkle.

12. Ali DeMaria • I will make a difference by helping others find a way to achieve what it is they desire out of life. I will make a difference by providing a voice for those who cannot provide one for themselves. I will make a difference by keeping an open mind and demonstrating patience. I will make a difference by continuing to learn all that I can while benefiting the wellness of those in my community. • I will make a difference.

13. Michelle Andrus • “A’ole he mea nui ka lo’ihi o ko kakou ola ‘ana, • aka, he mea nui ke ‘ano ona.” • It matters not how long we live, but how • (unknown) • To live with respect for the land, water, and animals • That which gives us life • To live with respect, openness, and love for others and their cultures • That which makes us special, unique, and valuable • To live with intention, purpose, and meaning • To find that purpose daily and to be open to the journey • A constant search to live with meaning, peace, and understanding of self and others • To show love, kindness, and grace to all beings and to myself • To be thankful for this life that has been given • To see the beauty in this world through my own eyes

14. Amber Cook • I will always retain my ability to speak honesty, view the world through realistic eyes, never forget what it is like to have a child’s imagination, and tackle all things with passion so I never lose my vitality. Even when it seems too hard to bear, I will strive never to be in the dark about any subject because knowledge is what lights the world. I will conquer the evil sloth that lurks behind every task I undertake so that I can stay on top of what is currently important. I will remain stable in times of crisis so that others may lean upon me, and know that I will stand up for what I believe is right, even when they may not believe the same. I will remain unwavering in the promises I make, and never falter upon commitments. I will learn to accept my faults so that I do not dwell upon them and block my view of others in need. I will love fearlessly because that makes me free. I will stay humble so that I may learn from others; even on the days I think I am right. My thirst for knowledge will remain intact so that I may roll with the changing times, even if I balk at the prospect. I will acknowledge that I may not be able to help everyone, but at least I will never hurt anyone intentionally. I cannot say that I will not have regrets because that is how I will learn. I will remain in awe of the human capacity to think and feel, and I will cherish every moment I can do both fully. I cannot promise to be giving all the time, because I am selfish, and admittedly, at times, I enjoy it, but I can promise never to be a person who only takes. I am not perfect, no one is, and my mission is not to become that unrealistic self, nor to help anyone else obtain it, but to respect life, and never take one second of it for granted.

15. Anne Ovesen • I vow to make each day of my life full of purpose, self-fulfillment, and hope. I am grateful for my life experiences and know that each challenge I face brings with it the opportunity for personal growth and empowerment. I will take joy in the fact that life is one long learning process – that if I have arrived at the truth then I must have missed something. • I believe that I am my brother’s keeper and will be an advocate for those whose voice is weakened by social forces. I will be a flea against injustice, for as Marian Wright Edelman said, “Enough committed fleas biting strategically can make even the biggest dog uncomfortable and transform even the biggest nation.” • I will act with compassion, empathy, and integrity in my dealings with others, and I will nurture these qualities in the people around me. I know that nothing I ever do will matter as much to me as raising my daughter to be a self-assured young woman. I will treasure these early years with her and vow that when the time comes, I will let her find herself. My greatest legacy is to leave my daughter some part of society transformed for the better. • Not only is another world possible, she is on her way. • On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing. • ̃̃ Arundhati Roy

16. Jacquelyn Parsons • My MISSION is to use this one life to LOVE and HONOR God, my family, my friends, and myself on a daily basis. • Through DEDICATION and SUPPORT I hope to deepen these relationships as the years pass and to never take for granted the BLESSINGS that I receive. • I aim to take each CHALLENGE and HARDSHIP as a chance to learn more about myself and my inner strengths. • I strive to continually ADAPT and CHANGE my worldview based on my experiences and a never-ending search to LEARN more about those who think differently than I. • I only ask that I am able to use my talents and creativity to better the LIVES OF OTHERS while feeling a sense of FULFILLMENT and JOY. • I aspire to remain HUMBLE and POISED through both my SUCCESSESS and FAILURES. • I hope to always be able to LAUGH at life’s funny quirks and peculiarities, and to never try too hard to understand the why’s. • All in all I strive to remain open to the endless POSSIBILITIES and OPPORTUNITIES that await me. • This is my MISSION…

17. Angela Oliver • Life is, at times, a circus • Similar to a performer on the tightrope, I’ve had to balance the concepts of justice and equality while walking along the treacherous journey of life. • The contortionist pushes his/her mind and body to the limits of flexibility. When we encounter situations in our lives that can challenge and stretch us we must remain open to change. Sometimes we can let our feet touch our ears and look back in amazement at our ability to adapt and survive. • My religious belief guides me, similar to the Ring Master, carefully watching and orchestrating the process of the circus. • The clowns of the world will confront you, and at times intimidate you, but we can overcome adversity while maintaining our humanity. • We are all juggling, some times we drop the ball but I believe • that we all have the right to make mistakes and, most importantly, the strength to pick it all up and try again.

18. Jacqueline Tornow • I want to wake each day knowing that I can live life to the fullest and embrace every opportunity to improve myself each day. I want to be humbled by traveling on the road not taken. I aim to travel this path with my son, companion, family, and friends. Every day I want to be humbled by this limitless existence. • I would like for my son and companion to walk beside me in this journey, sharing, loving, and caring for one another. I want to give and help others. I want to believe that I have the ability to contribute in changing this world. I believe the energy of my actions will transcend beyond this mortal coil. I aspire each day to be a better person, for my son, companion, family, and friends. I ask for humility each day, to believe in the process, believe in this life force, and have patience. • I want to look at the beauty of this world, and look into the vastness of space, and believe that my time and energy has helped another human being. I desire to be part of nature, this Earth and be harmonious, live in tranquility, be mindful and aware. • Each day I desire the ability to make transformations in my life, to help the lives of the persons that I interact with, to continue to love and learn. I want to generate a new sense of purpose each day to persevere to the next waking day.

19. Alexandra Theis • As an individual… • It is my hope in life to open my eyes and ears to the beauty of diversity that encompasses my daily being… • It is my hope to acknowledge the individualistic views of human-kind, to forgo narrow-mindedness and to look through a multifaceted lens… • It is my hope in life to explore the unfamiliar, seeking answers to the questions that lie ahead… • It is my hope in life to cherish the unforgettable moments spent with those who I love…. • It is my hope in life to consider each experience a potential outlet for inner growth… • It is my hope in life to continue strengthening my sense of compassion and empathy for all others… • It is my hope in life to strive toward being all that I can, offering all that I have… • It is my hope in life to embrace the world around me, learning something new from everyone I meet and everywhere I visit… • It is my hope to journey through life, continuously searching for meaning in every new day…

20. Gretchen Williams