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  • 2 weeks ago
A Trinidad and Tobago national is being recognised for an outstanding academic achievement in the United States. Megan Standiford graduated at the top of her class from Walla Walla University in Washington State, earning a Master's degree in Social Work and one of the university's highest student honours. As Sharla Kistow reports, the achievement was built on perseverance, humility and a passion for helping others.
Transcript
00:00Megan, Stephanie Montrose, stand up for it.
00:20When you see them interacting, you don't realize it's not just them.
00:26You're seeing the interactions that they had in childhood.
00:30You're seeing the attachments with their parents.
00:32You're seeing the attachments to their systems.
00:34And when I say systems, the hospital, their families, their extended families, what traumas within that line.
00:42And you're watching this child trying to navigate life, but they just don't have the tools yet.
00:48And that was where I realized, but I'm missing tools in my toolbox too.
01:10I was so happy.
01:12I, something with seeing those kids, something with seeing these students, what I found, and I guess it's telling, right?
01:21Because the degree, yes, it's a master's in social work, but it's a clinical master's in social work.
01:26So it's a lot of, a lot of therapy language, a lot of introspection, a lot of being curious into
01:31people's stories.
01:32And it's funny that the, most of my time as a teacher, I spend most of my lunch times and
01:39break times just hanging out with those, with, with all the students, listening to their stories.
01:54So I attended the ceremony and it was at the ceremony as I was listening to the, to them describe
02:00the award, right?
02:02And the students and the top, you know, all the characteristics they needed to meet.
02:06Having the top GPA, having just an overall rounded student.
02:27Sometimes we need to get outside of ourselves and recognize that it's okay to ask for help.
02:33It's okay to be seen as vulnerable.
02:35It's, it's okay to, to tell people, Hey, this is what I'm facing.
02:38I had to take a job custodial, like I told you, like I came to me, that was not in
02:43my mind, right?
02:44I had an expectation when I stepped into the space, this is what I'm going to do.
02:48This is how I'm going to get money.
02:50This is what I, this is how I'm going to survive.
02:52And I realized that I had to erase that, that had, that had to go immediately.
02:59And what I found was that because I was, I guess you would say, putting myself in a space to
03:04be humbled or walking in with humility,
03:07the experiences and the relationships that I built was amazing.
03:20I think the biggest advice is, um, prayer, prayer, um, really pray and ask God, God, what is my purpose?
03:29What is the path you have for me?
03:33What is the path you have for me?
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