Departing YWCA Advocate Kenia Pineda first met Executive Director Anne-Marie Zell Schwerin while working on her bachelor’s degree in social work at Walla Walla University.
“Anne-Marie made time in her busy schedule and told me all there was to know about the YWCA in a nutshell!” Kenia said. “She made sure I left with all the information I needed.”
Kenia returned in August 2017 as a YWCA intern, then was hired as an Advocate in March 2018.
“I will always remember my LiNC clients, my first ‘middle of the night’ intake, and the clients who had it really tough and yet, succeeded!” she said.
The hardest part of the job, Kenia said, is knowing that “I can’t take a magic wand, wave it around, and make abuse go away instantly. There’s violence and abuse everywhere.”
Kenia will be a therapist at Anchor Point Counseling, where she will employ the compassion and empathy that made her a wonderful advocate.
She’ll also continue to experience her favorite part of YWCA advocacy work: “It’s amazing to see clients come in and make so much improvement in their lives.”
We never say goodbye at the Y(W), so we will leave it at this … see you around!