Over a year and a half has passed since I first moved to Seattle, Washington in the middle of the pandemic, not knowing a single soul. That leap of faith proved valuable, as I now feel most at home with mountains and evergreen trees nearby, and that crisp, perpetually damp air all around. I just completed the first quarter of my second and final year in the Master of Social Work program at the University of Washington, where I am in the Administration and Policy Practice concentration. I’ve been hard at work preparing policy memos, drawing up logic models for anti-racist social services, and honing my organizational leadership skills. I am focusing much of my work on de-carcerating mental health care and advocating for voluntary, peer-led alternatives to psychiatric hospitalization. For my second-year internship, I am a project facilitator with the Northwest Behavioral Health Research Alliance, a newly formed group of service users, providers, and researchers who collaborate to conduct research and quickly put the results into practice in mental health settings. To combat the rigor of grad school, pandemic-induced isolation, and Seattle’s dark winter months, I try to fill my free time with laughter and connection, something creative (learning to knit) and exercise (boxing and rock climbing are my current favorites). I’m excited to graduate with my MSW this coming June, and I intend on staying in the Pacific Northwest as I enter the workforce. I feel so appreciative for the financial support MVYouth gave me during my undergrad career, as I would not have entered a graduate program had I finished my bachelor’s degree with significant student loans. As always, I am sending my support and affection to the resilient Vineyard community that raised me up.