Yearend: December 2008

This has been a very exciting year for me, graduating from Grad School, moving to New York, and a new president. I decided it was a good year to send my first ever Holiday letter.

This was a year of many changes. I became an aunt for the second time right after I started my last semester of graduate school. My first niece, Olivia was born last August and then my second niece, Keegan, was born in January. I had the pleasure of seeing both my younger siblings as parents. They are great at it, I could not be more proud.

As the end of my time in graduate school was rapidly approaching, I had to decide what and where the next stage of my life would begin. I was fortunate to go to a conference at the United Nations in New York for social workers in March. It was during this trip to New York that I decided this would be the beginning of my new, post master’s life. I interviewed for a position with the Brooklyn Bureau of Community Service as a family therapist. A week before graduation I was offered the position.

Many of my friends and family came to Massachusetts to help me celebrate my accomplishments. I am proud to say I received my diploma while serving as the Marshall for the school of social work. My time at Springfield College was one of the best of my life, so even though I was proud and excited I was sad to leave my friends, professors, and mentors who deeply influenced my life.

As a new graduate I was blessed to have wonderful family in Connecticut to take me in for the summer while I started my new career. During my 3 hour daily commute to Brooklyn, I caught up on the leisure reading I had sorely missed during graduate school.

In September I not only moved in with two wonderful teachers in a brownstone in Brooklyn, I started a new position as the Adolescent Specialist at the Brooklyn Bureau. All of my hard work paid off, this is exactly the type of position I hoped for during Grad School.

Throughout the year I had opportunities to visit many of the people I love, and have had many visitors. I spent time campaigning (even on Halloween) and explored my new home. During all of this excitement you were certainly missed and loved! Come visit soon! New York is much more exciting than Springfield, MA
Love, Erin L Nau, MSW