A Goodbye Post: Taking My Own Advice

Cute kitten waving goodbye. Thanks to http://briff.me/2015/01/02/animals-waving-goodbye/
Cute kitten waving goodbye. Thanks to http://briff.me/2015/01/02/animals-waving-goodbye/

Written by Erin Murphy, Director of Community Engagement, YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish (for 2 more hours!) 

This is a first for Firesteel. It’s a goodbye post. After four amazing years with the YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish and Firesteel, today is my last day.

I can’t believe how lucky I am. Four years ago I interviewed for a job that had the long and awkward title of “Director of Education and Advocacy Network” because the program that I would manage did not even have a name yet! Seems like forever ago and the name that emerged was Firesteel.

I have always advocated for causes I believe in. I started as a 5 year old, lecturing my adult neighbor on the hazards of smoking (yeah, I had a lot to learn in way of respectful and persuasive advocacy messaging!), grew into a teenager defending immigrants’ rights in high school debate class, and then found myself a fresh college graduate racking up unpaid advocacy internships. When I landed this job at the YWCA post graduate school, I was able to make money doing what I loved, advocating for a cause that really mattered to me. Almost too good to be true. 

My kitty helping me work along the way.
My kitty helping me work along the way.

But it was true. Along the way, I have been fortunate enough to be a part of some incredible experiences. From our Google + Hangouts with governor candidates, to working alongside this fantastic advocate, to the Finding Our Way StoryCorps project, to advocating to end homelessness on national cable TV–wait, why am I leaving?

Oh, right. I’m leaving to take my own advice and do some self-care. As much as I love the work, advocating to end homelessness is hard and can take an emotional toll. To ensure that I can keep advocating for social justice, I am taking a break to rest so I can continue to advocate in the long run. So that means a summer break! I am very fortunate to be in a situation where I can afford to take time off and am going to do my best to truly appreciate it. I don’t actually know what will follow at the moment, but whatever it is, I plan to be well rested!

I have met so many incredible people and am still committed to being a part of the housing and homelessness advocacy community in Washington state. You can follow me on Twitter at @erin_tapatia and I’ll now have that much more time to tweet and have awesome online conversations! Firesteel is fully in Denise’s very capable hands and I am so excited knowing that there is this wonderful advocacy community and space where I can continue to advocate and speak up for change regardless of my role shifting. Here’s to good things in the future!

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