What Next?

Throughout my year as a fellow of Path to Purpose I implemented skills taught at our meetings throughout my approaches with community partners and their work. A huge value I kept in mind was our emphasis on working with communities not working for communities. Mistrust between UF and Gainesville has largely stemmed from student projects that are often abandoned or even done for the wrong reason. I kept this in mind when working for sustainable change for the organizations I worked with. Grant database researching was a huge skill that I developed throughout the year. I spent months creating a workable spreadsheet for Just Income on grants that may fit their needs. I was also able to teach the skills I have learned in this field to other fellows. I also felt a strong improvement in putting my needs first in order to prevent burnout. Making sure that I kept my own garden watered before watering the gardens of others was a skill that I learned wasn't "selfish" but necessary in order to be able to put out my best work possible.

Going forward as the new student director for Path to Purpose for the 2023-2024 school year I am confident in implementing the skills that I have learned this year into my future goals. A huge skill has been relationship building. Within the past year, I have expanded my network of contacts tenfold compared to my first year at UF, but this wouldn't have been possible without joining Path to Purpose. Working with community members has been a much smoother transaction now that I typically know mutuals with the individuals I am trying to connect with. I hope to give this asset to P2P students who will join in the future and emphasize the importance of relationship building. Another goal of mine is to be a resource for other students. Manda, our director for Path to Purpose, has been a huge inspiration for this. Taking a role in community work doesn't always have to be "boots on the ground" work, often times we can be the connecting link between the community and its members. Going forward, I hope to be this link for students while simultaneously continuing my own work with those affected by the criminal justice system, as a means of both "linking" and "doing" community work.