This is my last Herstory post, so I wanted to make it a special one. I will be graduating next week which means that I will also be leaving Women's Services for the final time. It breaks my heart to say goodbye to the women I've worked with and the women I've served over the years, but I'm excited to move on to new projects and see what the future, and the Lord, have in store for me. So, I wanted to share with you a few of my Sheroes: The Women of WSR.
LaNae Valentine
LaNae has been my mentor, boss, and friend for over 3 years and it makes me teary-eyed to think that I won't be under her tutelage any longer. She is the world's best boss (seriously, Michael Scott would even concede his mug to her) and one stellar human being. She treats each one of us like her own daughters and has a bigger heart than most large mammals. If you need a loving shoulder to cry on, come in to WSR and meet with LaNae, because she has one of the purest, loveliest souls in the universe. She will make you feel at home in an instant. Aside from being wonderfully loving and kind, she is also fiercely passionate about women's issues and she's fabulously intelligent. BYU has no idea how blessed it is to have LaNae at the helm of WSR and her praises don't get sung nearly as often as she deserves. But each person that has worked for her, each student she has helped, and everyone that has met with her will sing her praises all day long. Seriously, I could write another six or seven paragraphs about how much I love LaNae. For now, I will simply end with what a privilege it has been to learn from her and grow as a therapist, a woman, and a person because I know her.
Ashleigh Adkins
Ashleigh is a fiery ball of awesome. She has an unlimited amount of passionate energy for women's issues and she channels that energy into action. I have never met anyone with a better go-getter attitude than Ash. When something needs to be done at WSR, Ash is the first one to start working out how to get it done and how to do it well. If WSR were a body, she would be the arms and the legs because she makes things happen, no matter how insurmountable they may seem. She's also ridiculously funny, friendly, and fashionable. She's usually the first face people see when they walk in to our office and she makes you feel instantly welcome. Also, I am perpetually jealous of her outfits and her sassy style. I'm pretty sure WSR won the Office Manager lottery when we hired her.
Kathleen Baxter
I'm pretty sure that Kathleen and I were unconventional twins separated at birth (yes, I know that we're not the same age and have different parents, but work with me on this one). When she started working at WSR as my MFT counterpart, we hit it off right away. Kathleen is one of the most brilliant, passionate, hilarious women I have ever met in my life. She is as real as real can be and isn't afraid to be exactly who she is. She's also a wicked awesome therapist, so if you ever need to recommend someone in the Layton, Utah area for therapy, send them to her with no hesitation. I can spend hours talking to Kathleen and never get bored. The things she says are educated, well thought out, and sincere. Holy crap, we miss her around here! If I have daughters, I want them to grow up to be Kathleen.
Kelsi Seaman
Kelsi is one of the few people in the world who was born genuinely sweet and has somehow figured out how to hold on to it into adulthood. I have never heard Kelsi utter an unkind word. Period. She has such a sweet presence and is incredibly mature for her tender age. If anyone I know came here to earth with a halo, it would be Kels. She is also amazingly talented and did fantastic things for WSR in the time she served as our graphic designer. She is getting married soon and we are thrilled for her and wish her a lifetime of happiness with her fella!
All Our Other Ladies
We have had so many awesome people that have worked at WSR and that currently work at WSR that I could fill a book with these profiles. Instead, I'll mention the rest of these wonderful women in a combined blurb. Erin is always eager to do good things and to make the people around her happy. She has a thoughtful heart and is stronger than she even realizes. Erica is a bubbly presence with an infectious laugh. She has her feet planted firmly on the ground, but lets her head soar above the clouds and imagine all of the good things she can do for the world. Emily is our new graphic designer and I have the pleasure of working with her each morning. She is an incredibly hard worker, a brilliant designer, and such a chill girl. She is sweet and smart and rocks her scooter-riding skills through the crazy construction each day on her way to work. Brooke, Bianca, Sarah, Kimi, and anyone else that I'm forgetting from my first time at WSR, are all equally wonderful, unique, and beautiful. It's been a blessing to know all of you!
YOU
I have had the absolute pleasure of meeting hundreds and hundreds of amazing women through my years of service at WSR. You never cease to amaze me, ladies. Even with all of the things you face, the struggles that you have, the doubts and troubles, you always find a way to rise above. You have all blessed my life in ways that you can never quite imagine and I am grateful for each and every one of you. Keep you heads up, keep pushing forward, and know that Women's Services and the amazing women who work here will always be here to support you, empower you, and love you.
ADSENSE HERE
