“I am currently working as a Care Coordinator at Crider Health Center and living in St. Louis, MO. I work with children who have serious emotional disturbances and their families to keep the children in the home. I do case management for the families in addition to meeting with the children to work with them on communication skills, independent living skills, emotional expression, school problems, and as many other things as you can think of. I graduated with my MSW from Wash U in St. Louis in December 2011, recently became a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor per the Missouri Substance Abuse Professional Credentialing Board, and am about to start the process to be an LCSW.
My favorite memory of Career Israel was the last day of my internship at Moadonit Oz when my placement threw me a going away party. I will never forget how scared I was to first walk in the door with a knot in my stomach, and then the all too familiar feeling of that knot returning because I knew I would never get to see those children again. It moved me to tears, literally, and I will never forget the accomplishment I felt on that last day.
Career Israel helped me decide what I wanted to do with my life. I had no idea what I wanted when I got to Israel and in fact, had a marketing internship that did not work out. Instead, I found the passion in my life that was working with underprivileged families and children. I received fulfillment in my job and fell in love with the field of social work, which prompted me to apply to graduate programs in the US from Israel! This was an experience I will never forget. Someone once told me to “do things because you are inspired by them, not because they look good on a resume” and I followed that mantra to Israel and found my passion in life and ultimately my career.”
