Kate Jessen Email & Phone Number

“Everyone wants to save the world, but no one wants to do the dishes.” My very first school report said that I was kind and liked helping people. This was a theme throughout my school years. So, it made sense that I went on to study social work at university. One of my favourite social work type positions was an advocate/advisory officer at a university students’ association. I loved guiding, informing, and assisting students in negotiating the university’s systems.Unfortunately, the students’ association closed, and my position became redundant. There began my journey of confusion much akin to the journey of Odysseus! Perhaps that’s a little dramatic…My resume shows the various positions I have held. Most recently I have worked for myself proofreading, copywriting, and book writing. I was sure I wanted my career to centre around words (after all, English was my best subject at school). I may well still be following this path if not for some major life upheavals and a few health issues in the past few years. These lead me to reflect on what I really want from life. What do I really want? I want to help people. I naturally veer toward helping people in need. Whether that be finding out some information online for a friend, leaving toilet paper out for a neighbour during the pandemic, heading out to help look for a blind dog, or joining a group trying to catch some wayward ducklings in the old concrete unused pool in the local river (and ending up taking my kayak in to round up the ducklings!).I get a real sense of fulfilment in helping people in need.I have worked hard to get myself up and going again after my life fell apart a few years ago and to get my health to the best it’s been in years. Now I am ready to find a position where I can use my communication abilities, empathetic nature, and research and organisation skills to assist people in dealing with the issues they are facing. The quote at the beginning of my profile is from a story by John Perricone about a Buddhist monk who came to give a talk to John’s class. The monk came in and wrote those words on the whiteboard. The monk went on to say: “…in the smallest gesture of kindness…you have committed an act of immeasurable profundity, because to each of us, our life is our universe.”This is the level at which I want to assist people – because by doing those seemingly small acts (whether that be providing information, guiding them through a process, or showing understanding of their situation) I will be making a difference in their lives. What could be better than that?