‘Serving others suits me best’

NAME: JuTone Owens Lajoie 
CLASS YEAR: 2014
WARTBURG MAJOR: Social Work
CURRENT ROLE: Co-owner and counselor, A Time to Heal Counseling and Consulting

WHY DID YOU CHOSE TO STUDY SOCIAL WORK: I started as a psych major. The psych adviser helped me determine social work would be a better fit after completing a few career and interest inventories. They talked to me a lot about what I spend a lot of my time thinking about. I worked at LSI my freshman year as a janitor. Those experiences helped me understand that serving others suited me best. Especially the sweet lady janitors, they were humble and kind and taught me a lot about humility and kindness. 

WHICH WARTBURG EXPERIENCES CHANGED YOU FOR THE BETTER AND HOW: My experience in Colorado, traveling to Alaska for May Term, and then to Europe allowed me to able to see and interact with the world with a safe and supportive community. I wasn’t alone doing these things, so it gave me a sense of confidence and security that I was exploring the world for the first time with likeminded individuals. It prepared me for life as an independent adult. 

WHAT WAS THE BEST PART OF YOUR WARTBURG EXPERIENCE: The best part of my experience was knowing that every day that I tried and showed up, my diversity adviser and my mentor showed up too! They were committed to my success! That meant a lot to me and still does today. 

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR CURRENT OR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS: This is just the beginning of a journey. Every experience is an opportunity for growth, take none of them for granted.