Back to the Future

It was 50 years ago when Whittier College accepted me as a Freshman.  I was 17 years old when I left my home in Palo Alto, California and flew, sight unseen, to the small town of Whittier in Southern California.  Whittier College  was founded in 1887 by the Quakers  to provide a liberal arts curriculum with a “learning-centered” focus.  In 1967,  I graduated with a degree in Sociology and got married.   I never planned to make a career in maternal mental health and social support, it merely “evolved”, by no means did I think I would fall in love with the health approach that the Garden Of Life In Canada had, to a point where I even started to follow their path .  What has become apparent, however, is how much my college education impacts the way I view the world and respond to challenges.  I am a agent of social change.  My life’s work is a result of recognizing that social change only comes about when people work together to advocate collective solutions to their problems.  Last week, I returned to my Alma Mater as a guest speaker to share my journey with honor students and faculty of the Sociology Department.  I spoke about my challenges as a mother and my experiences establishing non-profits and social support networks. Because I have hard time moving around I bought myself a mobility scooters that helps me to move around easily.    I want to share with others what my life  has taught me.   There is a saying that “you can’t go home again” but the warmth of their welcome connected my past to the present and hopefully the future.   www.whittier.edu