Hello from Bethany

Hi all!

My name is Bethany and I am one of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (UWEC) graduate students who will be traveling to Washington DC in a couple weeks to immerse ourselves in the culture of homelessness. I feel extremely blessed to have this opportunity to learn and grow both professionally and personally. I have always had a passion for working with those who are in some way disadvantaged and look forward to gaining a better understanding for the homeless population in DC.

A little about myself: I am married and have two daughters; Bridget will be 14 in 3 days, and Cassie will be 10 later this month. My husband James and I have been super busy trying to keep up with the girls' activities and sports. I hate to say it, but I'm almost glad basketball season is almost over. We are also trying to get some work done around the house before my husband goes back to work in the spring. Needless to say, I never have a dull moment!

I graduated from the UWEC nursing program in December 2008. Since then I have been working as a public health nurse at our local health department. I absolutely love the work I do there. I truly feel I make a difference in the lives of the mothers, children, and families I work with, and that's a great feeling. I decided to continue on right away with graduate school. I am in the family nurse practitioner track at UWEC and expect to graduate in May 2011. I'm anxiously awaiting the day I graduate! Time has become a rare commodity for me and I've become very appreciative of every quality minute I get to spend with my family.

I've spent my entire life living within an hour of the small midwest town my family and I have settled into. As many of our clinical group members, I have had little experience working with a diverse population. In the summer of 2007 I was able to spend 10 days in Rosebud, SD during my nursing clinical working with the Native Americans on the reservation. Then in the summer of 2008 I had another great opportunity to travel to Alaska with another clinical group to work in the pediatric unit at the Alaska Native Medical Center. I learned so much from both of these experiences. I am very excited to be traveling to Washinton DC for this clinical immersion. I'm sure the insights and knowledge I will gain around homelessness will be beneficial in both my professional and personal life.

Well that's all I have for now. I hope you all enjoy experiencing this immersion with us through this blog. Please feel free to ask questions as we prepare for the trip, or let us know if there is anything you'd like to hear about specifically.