 From June 9-13th, CASA programs across the country gathered in St. Louis to learn, grow, and strategize together. I was one of the lucky volunteers to win the chance to be a part of this great networking conference. From the informative workshops, phenomenal speakers, St. Louis offered an ambiance that was unique in its own.The conference was held at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at The Arch. Yes, the beautiful Arch was right out front of my hotel window. Out of the many amazing workshops I attended, the “Applying a Mindset-Shifting Framework to a Child Welfare Case” stood out to me the most.In this workshop, Dr. Jessica Pryce introduced us to the “Vignette” case. A real and active child welfare case where after many trials, tribulations, and a long fight, a mother lost her rights to her child. She didn’t lose her rights because she neglected or abused her child, but because the child welfare system needs reconstruction and redesigned to better work with parents and not against them. It was an overwhelming feeling hearing the details of this case and to have so many other attendees sharing similar thoughts and feelings. This conference showed me that there are so many people across the country that share my same drive to make a difference to change the system. One of the phenomenal speakers I spoke of earlier was David McIntosh. Mr. McIntosh spoke about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, “DEI”. The great storyteller shared his own experience from his childhood to how it applies to today’s current events. My group ran into Mr. McIntosh later that day on a boat cruise where he shared more experiences and stories!  At the conclusion of the workshops, my group was able to add in fun activities and become tourists of St. Louis. We took a tram ride to the top of the Arch, attended the Central West End Cocktail Party, joined national CASA at the Cardinal’s baseball game after the Walk Run Thrive event, dined at so many delicious restaurants, zipped through St. Louis’ neighborhoods on scooters, went sight-seeing at the St. Louis Zoo, I even caught my first firefly, and so much more! I will forever be grateful for this opportunity to attend my first conference with CASA. The knowledge I gained will be applied to my current and future cases. The fight isn’t over!
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