GRF Laura’s talk about her work as an advocate in various places around the world made me reflect on my own experiences doing similar work, albeit in a much less impressive manor.  I was fortunate enough to go to a high school with some great programs–one of them was that instead of descending into senioritis, we were given the option to spend the last trimester of our senior year working full-time in a service capacity.  For me, this ended up being an internship at a small non-profit 501(c)(3) organization on the Lower East Side.  Most of my time there was spend just generally assisting the case managers with their clients, many of whom had problems ranging from pending eviction to trouble securing their welfare.  I appreciated Laura’s talk not only because it reminded me of my own brief experience in the field, but because it gave me more perspective on the tireless work that case managers/advocates do for their clients on a day-in/day-out basis.  It really does take a lot of heart to put in the work for those who need it most.