This month we highlight Chesed, another one of our staff that came to us through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest program. We asked Chesed to tell us a little bit about himself:
“Greetings, my name is Chesed (He/Him). I am a first generation college graduate. I am my ancestors' wildest dreams. I am a queer, Puerto Rican, Afrolatinx from Aibonito, Puerto Rico. I am from Connecticut. I am the second oldest of two sisters and one brother. I am a big Harry Potter fan, and I adore cooking/baking and watching a good movie. After my year of service with JVC Northwest at Thrive Central Oregon I am interested in pursuing my Master's degree in social work and eventually go to seminary for my MDiv.”
When talking about what brought him to Thrive, Chesed said,
“In my discernment process after graduating from undergrad, I wanted to take a year off and tap into the spirit of rest, community, spirituality, social and ecological justice. I came across JVC Northwest through AmeriCorps, where I got matched with Thrive Central Oregon. I fell in love with Thrive's mission and vision of empowering and meeting the community where they are at.”
We asked Chesed what his favorite part about working with Thrive has been and he responded by saying,
“What I love about serving at Thrive is the amazing staff they are so supportive and loving. You see the passion and love each staff member radiates about collaborating with individuals, groups and families towards a more equitable world. The second thing I love about service is the human relationships I get to create with each human being that I meet. I love walking with folks in their more vulnerable moments in their journeys.”
Chesed said that one quote that has impacted him in this season of life,
“is by two Economists whose names I do not recall. They said and I paraphrase. "Where we are at is not a matter of lack of resources but lack of will" I love how this quote challenges our deficit mindsets and the systemic inequities in our society. I love how this quote is a call to reimagine and question the status quo.”
Thank you Chesed for sharing more about yourself. We are so happy to have you on our team!
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