Hand Prints.

July 5th, 2012 - today - marks my one year anniversary as a full-time staff at the IRC. It was a very unique day that allowed for me to reflect upon my journey up to date, a "today" happening that looks towards the future, and also a monumental first accident after 6 years of driving - got rear ended on the freeway on my way home from work. If you do not want to read on, which I do not blame you for as it will not differ from most of my other posts in length, just know that God's hand prints couldn't have been more obvious in these instances, and in my life.

THE JOURNEY FROM ART TO SOCIAL WORK

As some of you may know, my undergraduate studies was in art... sort of... "Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts". It was something along the lines of art, computer science, and culture combined. HATED computer science to my guts! Consequently, I focused more on graphic and web design, which led to my minor in Cognitive Science with an emphasis on Human Computer Interaction. I enjoyed the HCI courses much more, hands down. At the end of the day though, I realized what kept me motivated to get through the challenges of a design process was not my love for art itself, but the subject matter in which I was designing for. That was a first step, a solid hint for my eventual career switch. Fast forward a grueling, persevering year of job searching (in all realms, I even applied for Tea Station...) and diligence at the International Rescue Committee as an intern, an assistant caseworker position opened up at the IRC. Obviously, a great experience and stepping stone towards my now decided career path in social work, I jumped on it. Hopes were high, but I prayed very, very hard for the peace and joy that I would need should I get denied the job because it would be who-knows-round-what of disappointment and confusion for my future. Sure enough, the inevitable happened -- REJECTION! I will spare you the details of why, but here is an excerpt of an email I sent out at the time to several close friends who have been following my journey:

that's the gist of it. i think i still have a decently positive outlook and am hopeful for potential opportunities in terms of IRC. however, i can't exactly 100% hope in it because it's uncertain and it's not like i'm guaranteed a position. all i can say is that there's still potential for it. I am surprisingly pretty OK with it. I was a little bit bummed when i found out, but that was about it, so i'm really thankful. during the waiting period, all i could pray for was peace and joy and a greater trust in God's sovereignty - provision and timing, because i KNEW for SURE i would be super disappointed and discouraged if i didn't get it. i guess you can say it's a little miracle :) because i'm totally fine. and logically, i couldn't even understand how i am, but i just am and that is definitely God's working and Grace :) so yeap! don't worry about me! do keep praying though. everything is so up in the air and it's been a year since i graduated!

In hindsight, it was clearly a miracle for me to experience the peace that I did and another opportunity for me to claim and experience God's promises. Several more weeks pass by with my normal interning routine and extremely unexpectedly, I get called in to speak with our ED again... lo & behold, I GOT THE JOB, and to conclude this section of my entry, here is another email update I sent out that briefly summed up... everything.

After a year of perseverance (well, maybe half a year of active job-hunting since I decided to change my career path towards the non-profit sector), i FINALLY obtained a full-time job as a casework assistant at the International Rescue Committee, which is where I have been interning since February! It is something I want to do, something I foresee helping me move towards my career, something that will probably and hopefully aid in my eventual grad-school application, and not to mention, it is also with an internationally known non-profit that I definitely would love to work with!

It has been a long process. There were many ups and downs, excitements and discouragements during this year-long process, and a plethora of dilemmas to consider, including one of utmost concern: passion vs. reality. However, after many series of events, God has once again proven faithful and sovereign over all. His timing is perfect and His Grace is sufficient. Had I obtained the other jobs I applied/interviewed for, I probably would not have had the opportunity to work at this position right now. Had I not sacrificed a few months of negative income (a.k.a losing money on gas) I probably would not even qualify for the position. Had I gotten previous jobs I interviewed for, my pay wouldn't even reach what it is now (though not high, still higher than expected). I can list a whole lot of things, all to testify in the end, that God is good. In more challenging times, He provided sufficient (and even more than expected/asked for sometimes) peace & joy to override my anticipated disappointment and feelings of discouragement. In happier times, well. I had lots of fun sleeping in, eating, hanging out with friends, sleeping, eating, working out, sleeping, eating... you get the point.

sooo for those who are in LA, i guess you won't be hearing me pick up the phone at home anymore (which is rare anyways because I'm probably sleeping), or me opening the door during the day, or me still in bed when you drop your kids off at our place at noon... because i will be in (work location), possibly buried in case notes, heavy-duty mundane tedious paperwork, yelling (just kidding) at welfare office personnel, or trotting new territory in our clients' apartments/houses conducting home visits... 

Up to this point, I have learned so much about people, about reality, about the flaws of the system, about hope and resilience, all in which, I believe, are great training grounds and confirmation for my future endeavors. I can't thank God enough for how He has prepared me and led me to this point.

THE "TODAY" HAPPENING

I do not have too much work experience and cannot say that I've gone through too much "office politics". I hear about it a lot from my mom, from others, and I am usually quite enraged just listening to how ridiculous, how dark, selfish, and unreasonable people can be. On the contrary, I have been shielded and blessed by awesome coworkers and currently, an awesome, awesome interim director. I've deemed A.E.R. as my IRC hero, and undoubtedly, an individual I greatly admire. Per my request, A.E.R. met with me today to address some of my questions and concerns, but the session ended up lasting one whole hour! To an entry level assistant caseworker, a personal hour-long meeting with the acting ED who was previously the deputy VP of IRC's national programs was really something! There are several characteristics that I took note of and would want to bring with me if one day I am in some or any type of management/leadership position (of course, given the appropriate office setting, size and make up of staff and whatnot):

1. Putting effort in understanding the direct service aspect before theorizing away in strategic planning
2. Showing genuine interest and acknowledgment for others' work, regardless of seniority
3. Being gracious and non-condemning, but never failing to state the problem and simultaneously pushing for positive change
4. Allowing room for individual creativity and staff development within the appropriate confines of each employee's responsibilities

I mentioned in the beginning of this post that this was a "today" happening that looks towards the future for several reasons. I have now tangibly seen and experienced specific leadership qualities that I deem as needed and important in the professional setting. A.E.R. advocated on my behalf to push for a slight salary raise as a fair acknowledgment for my work. And to top that off, I now have a second, willing, grad school recommendation candidate!

REAR-ENDED

This one-year-anniversary date is really something! Ended the day with a nice little secondary impact from a three-car accident that I was involved in on the freeway. First accident involvement ever since I started driving approximately eight years ago, and I am so very grateful for the minimal impact that I received. Despite the fact, I was still feeling a bit anxious and frantic because, well it's still a first! KNOWING what to do never seems to successfully play itself out when you need it to. Never have I been so glad to see a cop before! Ha! Praise God for His protection. Seeing accidents, big and small, happen every day during my commute freaks me out. Life is so, so fragile! I really hope and pray that I "don't waste [my] life".