Gratitude for the Journey

Twenty-six years ago, I packed all that I owned in two yard bags and left behind my last foster care system group home to start a new life. I was eighteen years old, holding onto hope and fortitude for an unknown future ahead. I wanted my life to be like the friends I made at school and their families, where they were working toward college and careers ahead. By coincidence, I knew and bonded with many new immigrants and a couple others in my situation, finding strong parallels in their convictions, daily routines, and efforts to mine. Those parallels meant I had a family of friends. I still have that today and am grateful for it. Those that know me well already know this story, but there are plenty that don't and this is for you.

Through years on busses and bikes, odd jobs and commitment, without a high school diploma, I tested in and worked my way through community college. Then, I went from there through to finish with a degree in social work. I met two friends in social work school that had also worked their way from emancipation from group homes in the system to college. When we found each other, we started the first campus organization of its kind in the CSU system and gave talks in our community. The California State University system made changes to help better accommodate students that were in our situation moving forward then, in part, because of our work. The first photo above is of me when I was young. The second photo above is a current photo of the friends I made in college where we did this work together: Jennifer McFarland, Phu Nguyen, and Dr. Alfred Perez. We are still friends today and we want our stories known.

Sitting alone at a bus stop one rainy day as a student, I made a decision. If life had brought me this far, if I had brought my life that far, let it be lived with meaning. I used the goal of giving back and improving lives for others as my reason for holding on through the struggle, and used that degree for a few years to give back to those who faced similar challenges. I wanted them to know they weren't alone and that there is a path forward available. For those that would say social work isn't a real degree, and I have heard it more than I've cared to, ask yourselves if viable opportunities are something you want to see open for those willing and wanting to put in the work. If the answer is yes to this question and you like the idea of feet on the ground to support it, consider a change in perspective. It was my first degree for an important reason and it will always be in my heart.

For practical reasons, my path took me into the business world in my mid-twenties, where I started my first corporate job in diabetes care. I had never really known another industry outside of odd jobs and nonprofit agencies and just happened to have stumbled on the medical device industry. It was time to take a chance and do something different. Technical and marketing support was a role that would last seven years and become a next cause to serve, where I would get my first car, and spend evenings filled with coursework toward a company reimbursed business degree. It served as a catapult into sales as a profession. All presumptions to the contrary, sales is a great choice for anyone who might be a bit of an introvert by nature, but enjoys challenging themselves to practice being social to the benefit of others, and in service to others. I stayed with diabetes care for a decade and still care for the cause.

The latest leg of the journey started seven years ago. With two babies at home, I left field sales for office based sales and tried a few different all-purpose roles. Each of these had a bit of technological edge to them, which I chalk up to chance due to living in the heart of Silicon Valley. It was during this time that I unexpectedly found what I thought would be another of these all-purpose kind of let's just go to work jobs instead to become a next cause I would strive to serve from behind a desk. Water stewardship as a cause is where I've found myself for these last couple of years in varying facets. It's where I'll find myself in the next couple of years. For whatever coincidental reason, there are a lot of people inside of this particular lesser known cause that are easy to draw parallels with and relate to. It had not been my first cause to serve and it may not be the last. It's where I find myself as of now as a paraprofessional with a purpose.

The common thread throughout my life has been a commitment to serve others in some way. If we choose to hold onto service to others as a first priority and the real reason for what we do, it's hard to go wrong. Like we all have, I've had a lot to learn in life. I have failed, just like everyone else has, plenty of times along the way. We get back up and we keep going. You don't need to be a social worker, in customer service, or a salesperson to give back. Honor your journey, and if you have a story like that of mine and my friends to share, then please consider sharing it. Why? Because it's important to let people who can't see it know that a bright enough future is there for the hope and for the effort.

If you're wondering if caring really makes a difference, it does. We each have our own reasons for what we do. Life is short. What will we leave behind as proof that we cared in the here and now? I challenge you to own your own real reasons. I'm grateful to have been inspired by others and to carry the torch of hope for the generation to come. It's been a journey. For those in my life, thank you for being in it.

Jennifer McFarland