I am not a political person, never have been, never will be. I do believe in democracy and the right to exercise my vote. Growing up in a conservative household and even now having many family members and friends that are staunch conservatives, it is hard being the odd ball out. Despite my conservative upbringing and political ID of the Republican Party, I had always described to people that were interested enough, that I was very moderate on social issues. In college I always felt to be on the defense of defending my political views. Hence I started to keep more silent, observe the political atmosphere surrounding me.

Past the age of 25 and well into present day my views developed. In 2007 I had begun receiving SSDI benefits from my mental health disability. Prior to this I worked from the age of 16 years old to the age of 25 years old. I worked in restaurants, law offices and was a pharmacy tech all through college. When I started received SSDI benefits I felt ashamed, that I wasn’t entitled to this monthly income. That changed with time and I credit being on that SSDI with paying off my first car (YES I STILL DRIVE IT TO THIS DAY!), allowing me enough financial stability to recover other realms of my life with relationships (met my now husband in early 2009), and providing me with the opportunity to live a semi-normal life. I continued to collect disability payments from 2007-2021 until I began working again. SSDI afforded me the freedom of health insurance and the ability to continue treatment for my severe mental health condition of Bi-polar Type I with psychotic features. When I married my military spouse, SSDI benefits gave me the opportunity to stay at home with my children when they were young. We were never wanting, we were comfortable. And with my spouse being frequently deployed or gone on missions, it provided me the ability to care full time for our daughters as they grew out of diapers. Because of social programs like SSDI, I thrived. I lived and survived.

I have always strived to be culturally and socially aware of my surroundings. I commiserate and am empathetic of social movements. I used to be all about local and state governance and small federal responsibility. Those views waned with recent memory of various calls for justice like #metoo or #blacklivesmatter. My sentiments of domestic and foreign policies have morphed into one that supports peace and love, not a hateful rhetoric or one motivated by power and strength.

As I continue this graduate school journey of Social Work, I am further resolved to make a larger impact, whether on policy at the macro level, or one on one individually at a micro level. I believe that social workers are superheroes, that work behind the scenes to preserve what is right and just. I feel that I have found my calling. Not just to help. To make a change. But further, to be the voice of those cries that go unheard. To advocate for a better tomorrow.

And finally, I will leave you with this. When I studied history in undergrad…a wise history professor warned against the pitfalls of the past and the repetition of the past that we are so prone to commit again. I am further pushed outward being a mother of two daughters, the urgency to protect their lives, their rights, their bodies and freedoms from oppressive agendas. I believe that the next president, whether its Kamala or Trump must heed the warnings of the past, and take careful note to preserve the existing democratic society we call America, what is left of it anyway. Do your part, VOTE tomorrow, on election day. If you mailed in your ballot, if you voted early, kudos to you! Do not think for a moment that your vote doesn’t matter, because it certainly does. Let’s all come together to create hope, pride in our nation and spread the love that this country so desperately needs.

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