Probably the greatest major on Earth

I just had one of the greatest experiences ever! I was late leaving work today which meant I was late getting to class. As I hiked up the hill to my class in the Ricks it was cold and snowy and I cursed my decision to wear heels and the ridiculous pencil skirt I had on. I seriously thought about just stopping in the parking lot and heading home. However when I walked into class I quickly sat down because the guest speaker I had totally forgotten was coming had already started. Can I just tell you that going to class was one of the best decisions I made today.

The Guest speaker was one who uses the psychodrama model in therapy with homosexual individuals. I absolutely loved everything that he had to say. The things and ideas he shared were so interesting and helped me learn and grow so much more. I think that because of my own personal connections to this topic and my fantastic cousin I was hanging on every word he said. I walked away so uplifted and grateful for his service to take the time to speak to us.

I am finding that I am having wonderful growing and learning experiences in class every single day. I absolutely LOVE my major and the decision to switch from nursing to social work was one of the best ones I've made. I never knew school could be so much fun. As I walked out of class with one of my favorite friends in the program we commented on how lucky we feel to be not only be participating in the social work program but also attending BYU-Idaho. Not every university offers experiences where you are able to visit jails to go through the booking and incarceration process, or run group therapy sessions as a student, or hear from amazing people with expertise in same gender attraction, mental health, and drug courts. One of my favorite things was last week when a mental health client struggling with bi-polar disorder and many addictions came and we were given time to talk to him and interview him as if he were one of our own clients. Then he critiqued us on our interviewing skills as a professional. It was one of the greatest learning experiences.

Everyday I have amazing experiences. I am learning and growing into a kinder and more compassionate person. I feel like this major only teaches me to have a greater capacity to love others. (who wouldn't want that?) I am so grateful for the experiences I have had so far and the idea of the person I will become as I finish the program. I only hope that Heavenly Father will help me become more prepared and ready for the responsibilities he has in store for me.