Ujima STL

Excited to share that I have finally walked the stage as Dr. Lo, OTD! The past 3 years have been a rollercoaster filled with smiles and tears. I’m walking out of this program, not only as a better clinician, but a better person overall. Extreme thanks to my cheerleaders Stacy West-Bruce, OTD, MSW, OTR/L Mario Millsap, MS, OTR/L Marit Nordin Watson OTD, OTR/L, PMH-C Duana Russell Thomas and everyone else in the OT Department for helping me fail forward! Now, onto Capstone where I’ll be working with Ujima STL as the Program Coordinator working to increase food justice, environmental stewardship, and youth empowerment!

Last week Ujima was honored for our commitment to Equity and Inclusion at FOCUS St. Louis ‘ What's Right With The Region Awards! We are so grateful to be recognized with so many other incredible change makers! We are inspired more than ever to continue our work of empowering the next generation. Peace and love! ???????????????????? #Ujima #GWCFarms #ClayGarden #Nonprofit #STL #FoodJustice #EnvironmentalStewardship #YouthEmpowerment #STL

Do you know any teens looking for a job this summer? Not only do we pay $20/hour, we provide mental health support, coordinate camping trips and host a job fair at the end of the program to connect teens with future internship and job opportunities. DM us for more info! The last day to schedule interviews in May 8th! ?????? #FoodJustice #EnvironmentalStewardship #YouthEmpowerment #SummerJob #ProfessionalDevelopment #STL

TW: Suicide Ideation, Mental Illness Summer 2021 changed my life, as well as Ujima STL‘s trajectory. It was the first year of our teen program, then called The Apprenticeship Program. I’ll never forget when one our teens called me and confessed that he had thought about k*lling himself. I immediately felt a wave of sadness, hopelessness, and oddly relief that he had the courage to share his truth with me. For a few moments I was at a loss of words. The only words I could muster up were “I’m so sorry you are struggling right now… and I hope you don’t go through with it because there are people in your life that truly care about you, including me.” Thankfully, I was able to immediately alert Dr. Brittany Conners who preformed a risk assessment, deescalated the situation, and was able to establish regular wellness check-ins afterwards. We were able to avoid a devastating situation due to the partnership with Dr. Conners and Optimistic Theory, however, I knew that Ujima needed to step it up in order to truly create a safe space as well as provide the mental health support they deserve. This month was another step towards that progress as I completed Youth Mental Health First Aid training! This year, Ujima staff and Dr. Conners will receive Teen Mental Health First Aid instructor training, The Sunflower Institute eligible alumni and TSI 2024 teens will receive Teen Mental Health First Aid training to support their peers, Ujima will be hiring additional mental health support staff, and later this year we will open up this training series opportunity to all teens ages 15-18 in the Greater St. Louis area. I’m so grateful to be apart of the change we wish to see in this world! Peace and love. ?????? #Ujima #OptimisticTheory #TheSunflowerInstitute #MentalHealth #MentalHealthSupport #YouthMentalHealthFirstAid #TeenMentalHealthFirstAid #ThisIsWhatCommunityLooksLike #STL #Nonprofit