“I was a 92Y in the U.S. Army Active Duty for eight years, ordering anything from chow to weapons and vehicles,” said Veteran Shadé B.

Since her transition out of the Military, Shadé moved to the Upstate of South Carolina and enrolled in Greenville Technical College. After declaring her human services and arts major, she realized she needed a field placement to graduate.

“Professor Tracie Raines referred me to Upstate Warrior Solution after learning the veteran population was whom I had a passion for and wanted to serve in order for me to complete my field placement for the semester,” Shadé said.

Since the first day of Shadé’s internship at UWS, she was eager and ready to learn. She expressed a future career interest in bereavement and grief counseling, specifically with the veteran population. Because of that interest, she helped our UWS team with our involvement in Operation Deep Dive, a national veteran suicide-prevention study. Over the course of her 5-month internship, Shadé gained confidence and took initiative. Not only did she want to learn from the team at UWS, but she brought new and creative strategies to us as well.

Shadé is a go-getter and brought positivity to the office each week. We are grateful we were able to work with her and cannot wait to see what great things she accomplishes in her future!