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Paths to Purpose

Leadership and social change program

About Me

About my work

I have been involved in a leadership and social change program called Paths to Purpose with the Brown Center for Leadership and Service at the University of Florida (UF), with a focus on disability, mental health, and neurodivergence. Through the program, I have volunteered with a community partner in Gainesville: The Center for Independent Living of North Central Florida. I have also attended trainings on social change and leadership concepts to grow as a leader.

I also have some other involvements related to my focus area. I am a member of Disability Ambassadors, and am working on starting a chapter of national disability justice organization Project LETS at UF. I also am working on research about public opinion on Florida state spending on mental health programs, which I presented at the inagural Bob Graham Center for Public Service Research Symposium.

Work Experience

Volunteer work

Center for Independent Living of North Central Florida

At the CILNCF, some of the daily work I did in the ADA Paratransit program includes organizing and filing applications, analyzing application eligibility, and entering voicemail data. I also created a mindfulness presentation for a youth social group, a slide from which you can see above.

City of Gainesville Human Rights Advisory Board

I have also worked with the City of Gainesville's Human Rights Board in reviewing cases of discrimination. I review the investigative reports and members of the board collectively decide if further investigation is warranted. 

Future plans

I hope to continue serving as a member for the Human Rights Advisory Board in the future, as well as work with a local nonprofit as an intern. 

Education

Reflections

What have you found to be the most important aspects of community work?

Building trust over a long period of time and continually showing up is essential in community work. I was explicitly told that in the trainings, but it was another thing to notice how my responsibilities changed and expanded as the year went on. I never would have thought I would help with determining the type of eligibility a consumer has for the ADA Paratransit program at the beginning of the year. 

What would I say to members of the next cohort?

If I could tell myself one thing before starting the program, I would say, It's okay to have a slow start! Both building relationships with community partners and social change in general take a long time to occur. At first, what you're doing might not look like what you want it to look like. But give it time, and things might change. And if they don't, you can always try to talk it out with your community partner.

Contact Me

Contact Me

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