Endings and New Beginnings

January 4, 2016

Today marks my last day as Program Coordinator of The Future Public Health Leaders Program (FPHLP) at The University of Michigan School of Public Health.

This winter I will continue my education in a Post-Master’s Certificate Program (PMC) in Higher Education Administration and Educational Leadership at Oakland University with later plans to matriculate into the doctoral program.

This is will be my first step as part of a larger process of furthering my development and capacity to advance the cause of equity and inclusion at colleges and universities, and the surrounding communities which they inhabit.

It has been an honor and a privilege to serve with my team these past 2 years and witness the life-changing impact that FPHLP has had on our alumni.

Helping them to find their way, and to realize that they can succeed and contribute to changing their world despite the many messages they might receive which say the opposite has been a strong part of our work, and although it is an ongoing process, I leave with a sense of peace and appreciation knowing that I, with my team, have contributed to fostering such positive transformation within our students.

I accept that my contribution has had and will have positive rippling effects beyond those that I might be able to see, and I carry this understanding with me as I transition.

My experience with the FPHLP team and our students has reminded me that none of us can do it by ourselves. It has re-affirmed to me the importance of interdependence, interconnectedness, and the power that lies in believing in people, and using whatever you have, wherever you are to open doors and provide them with opportunities to become more of who they were meant to be.

I look forward to what comes next.

Ubuntu,

From Aspiring Humanitarian, Relando Thompkins-Jones, MSW, LLMSW

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Relando Thompkins-Jones

I'm a macro social worker, social justice educator, and consultant who uses media and education to advance equity and social justice within people, organizations, and communities. I am also the Founder, Host, Editor and Producer of Social Justice Origin Stories, a storytelling project that highlights the personal stories and defining moments that have inspired individuals and organizations to labor for equity and social justice. I started Social Justice Origin Stories because I believe in the power of storytelling and making our experiences accessible to others, because I believe in the liberatory effects of social justice education, to support justice-seekers in finding community and feeling less alone given the relentlessness of oppressive systems, and hopefully to be a resource of support and reflection for those who are thinking through how they could best contribute to the work. We need all who can, to do what they can.