Personal Statement

Community engagement with a goal of systemic change is central to who I am. My focus is on building intentional relationships in order to better address social issues with a multidimensional understanding. By listening and learning from my neighbors' stories, I am able to authentically advocate within larger spheres of influence from the local stage, to national platforms like Clinton Global Initiative University, and National Yoga Service Conference. I believe all community work has to address indirect capacity building, direct service, and empowering others to serve. For me this means supporting capacity of Rochester area community organizations by facilitating self-care retreats for local area youth workers, and providing them with self-care strategies to prevent burnout. It means serving directly with area nonprofits by volunteering weekly at Genesis House, building relationships with youth experiencing homelessness. It also means developing and implementing a sustainable service program called Yoga Empowerment Partnership, which uses yoga as a mental health wellness tool for college students. In order to achieve sustainable change, we also need to educate, empower, and engage others through meaningful and reciprocal service partnerships, leveraging the skills and passions of all involved for positive, systemic change in our communities.