Interview by Emily Hessney Lynch.

Published October 16, 2020.

Where are you from? How did you end up in Rochester?

I was born in Massachusetts and raised in northern New Jersey. I first came to Rochester for a job; I lived in the South Wedge then and thought it was a cute neighborhood and liked the walkability. I lived here for six months, then went back to New Jersey for a bit before moving back to Rochester. I’ve lived here for four years now and have gotten to know more about the neighborhoods. It’s been great to see the city grow in population and in diversity, especially when it comes to food! It’s a very different pace, which is refreshing.

What are some hidden gems you've discovered around Rochester?

Some of the community gardens, like the St. Mark’s St. John’s one on Merchants, and one in North Winton between Akron and the next street over, and one at Humboldt Park. Even living in NYC and Chicago, I hadn’t seen that before! It’s interesting to see communities have that, with the intention of it being for the community.

If you had $100 and two hours to spend in Rochester, what would you do with the money/time?

I’d get some food and a six pack, and head to the lake with my dog to sit and relax.

What's your favorite neighborhood in the city?

I don’t have a favorite! I’ve lived in the Wedge and North Winton and I work in Lyell-Otis. Each neighborhood has its own unique character. Walking or driving, you see nice houses, cute streets, stores, and restaurants; each neighborhood has its positives.

If you could only eat one Rochester food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

The calamari from Tony’s Vietnamese. He’s a very good chef. The sauce on the calamari, the way they’re breaded, it’s very light--it’s delicious.

What's one memory that captures what Rochester means to you? 

The day I moved back to Rochester. I felt like, “this is where I’m going to start again.” 

What makes Rochester unique? 

The history makes it unique, with Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, some places being a stop on the Underground Railroad before people went to Canada. It keeps history alive and those changes continue. Other states and cities don’t have the history that we do. 

What would you like to see change in Rochester over the next year? 

I’d like to see more diversity in food. I enjoy eating and going out. There’s some diversity, but it would be great to have an even wider variety of food. It would be great to have Peruvian food! Or Central American, South American, African, Chinese. There are specific characteristics within each cuisine and I enjoy trying them all.

How did you get into social work as a career? 

During undergrad, my goal was to be in the music industry. I did an internship at Virgin Records in NYC, but didn’t get the position I interviewed for afterwards and ended up working in a hospital as a patient advocate. That was my first introduction to the human service field. I basically worked as case management in those settings, helping marginalized populations. In Chicago, my colleagues encouraged me to pursue a master’s in social work. I did research as part of my program for awhile, and eventually switched back to wanting to work with people again. I don’t think I’d enjoy any other field as much as I enjoy social work.

What's a day in the life like in your work at Cameron? 

Cameron is very different from other places, especially with my role. I see clients and do a lot of different things with them--referrals, help with applications, just talk. I also have two interns right now. I work on events like our Resource Fair, a coat drive for Project Homeless Connect, and I try to come up with different ideas and programs. Every day my work is different.

Moving forward, we want to collaborate even more with other agencies, especially in our neighborhood. My role is to be a liaison and see how we can support one another to better help our clients. I enjoy that! In this field, there’s no reason to be competitive. There are ways to partner and collaborate.

How has COVID impacted your work? 

Not being able to interact with clients in person, not being able to sit and listen, shake their hand or hug them, that was very different. “Social” is right in the title of social worker! Taking that part away is a huge adjustment. I got a secondary phone number so people can text or call me. I’m now two days at home and three in the office, so the relationship continues. People are very grateful to still be able to get in contact.

How can people get involved at Cameron if they're interested?

There are many ways! Right now we are reviewing how we can safely start bringing in volunteers again following all COVID safety precautions.

You can attend the Taste of Cameron event on Friday 10/23, which supports our programs. You get food from Root Catering, pick it up at Kin Even Space, and can enjoy it at home.

You can always donate nonperishable food items for our lunch program and food pantry, or clothing items to our clothing house. We’re now giving away a “welcome home cleaning kit” for when you move into a new spot, it includes things like bleach and toilet paper. You can find information on all of this on our website. And contributing financially always helps too!

What's one thing you wish more people knew about social work?

Social work can be fun and is fun! It can be many different settings and contexts. Social workers are more than counselors, therapists, and case managers. They’re also lobbying, activists, in hospitals, in clinics, and so many other settings. It’s very transferable. And our work is not all tragic and sad!