My name is Mykaela Lindsay and I am 21 years old. I am finishing up my four-year experience at Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO). On May 12, 2018, I plan on graduating with a BSW. Once I graduate my next step will be going to grad school. There are a few schools that I have already applied to and I am just waiting to hear back. I will not be stopping with a master degree, however; I want to go all the way through school to get a Ph.D. in social work.

When I started at SEMO I was a nursing major. Shortly into the first semester, however, I found out nursing was not for me. During the second semester of my freshmen year, I chose to do a psychology and social work class. The reason behind taking both of these classes were so I could figure out which one I preferred. Psychology is an interesting subject but I found that I enjoyed taking the social work class more. It was not until the beginning of sophomore year that I declared my new major in social work. I chose a career in social work because it will allow me to get out of my comfort zone and assist others in tough situations, without dealing with blood, illness every day, or giving anyone shoots like I would have dealt with going into a nursing career.

A few interesting things about me would be my family has moved to a ranch, I am the second oldest of four, the only daughter my parents have, I assist my mother in her equine therapy practice, and I love pretty much anything that has to do with being out in the outdoors. My family moved to a ranch in the same town that my mother grew up at. On the ranch, we have eight horses, one Brahma bull, chickens, dogs, cats, and a wild raccoon that my father named Rocky who enjoys sneaking up to the porch at night trying to eat the other animal’s foods. The way that I assist my mother in her equine therapy practice is by walking alongside the clients in case I need to pull them off the horse real fast, helping clients connect with the horse by showing them how to properly groom, pet, and interact with bigger animals in general and I saddle, brush, and prepare horses for riders. Things I like to do outside include; trail riding, fishing, bow fishing, shooting clay targets, hiking, going on float trips, frog gigging, and really whatever comes to mind while out with my brothers, boyfriend, and friends.

I am excited for the opportunity to do my internship at Missouri Bootheel Regional Consortium. I hope to learn more about what being a social worker is and how to properly interact with clients instead of reading scenarios from textbooks. I had a great first week at MBRC and cannot wait to see all the exciting experiences that are coming my way while being an intern at MBRC.