I may have no worked that long at Operation Grace but I truly appreciate the new perspective it gave me and all that I learned there. I’ve seen how Ms. Pride handles the calls that are not always so easy to listen to, I’ve learned how Jessica manages the organization with her family, and I’ve learned about more underlining issues about homelessness. This isn’t a pleasurable job to do, yet they do this work for the people they are able to help. Even months later after getting help, many women still call Operation Grace thanking them and updating them on how they are doing. I’ve also seen some cracks in the system and why it’s hard for some many homeless people to get services they need. Sometimes it’s about an organization not having enough money, funds, or resources. It’s frustrating and I believe is what needs to be changed. Non profits should definitely be getting more aid and resources than they are now because they are the ones who help the people that everyone ignores. All they want to do is improve the life of the client, and they should have the resources to achieve that.

Overall, I was most thankful to get experience working in a non profit and with social services because it is what I am interested in working in the future. I remember asking Ms. Pride if the work ever got too hard and if she ever felt burnt out from it. I’ll always remember her response because I feel like it’s how a lot of social workers must feel and what keeps them going.  Ms. Pride simply stated, “It’s hard work, but it’s work that must be done. There’s bad in this work, but there’s also good.” I truly believe this because I know it’s hard to keep a positive attitude in this kind of work, but the small rewards is what makes it worth it. I had doubts about pursuing a career as a social worker because I feared that it would be too much to handle sometimes, but after this experience I realized I truly have a passion for helping people and cannot see myself doing anything besides that. More importantly, I realized that I hope to work one day in a position where I can make real change happen for a lot of people. To me that means working possibly in the government where I can help create legislation that would aid people in need. After learning about the causes of homelessness, the services they offer to homeless, and the little legal protection they have, I realized that there needs to be more people higher up who are on their side. There needs to be more people in government who give the homeless, and any minority, a voice. This class and internship has motivated me to be a voice for the voiceless.