Meet Caitlin
Yup. That’s me. In my element: messy bun, sipping a cappuccino in a local coffee shop, and completely immersed in a project. Whether it is reworking a resume, editing essays for college applications, or putting an organizations vision onto paper I LOVE helping people unlock their potential and realize their goals.
Growing up I thought I would be an English teacher. I was captivated by the world of books, and I enjoyed the creativity of expression through writing. I grew up in a home that emphasized education, and very early on learned the power of knowledge. Another important piece of my family dynamic was the experience and intersection with disabilities. While I witnessed first-hand the stigma and the barriers to resources, I also witnessed strength and perseverance to overcome. When I entered into the jungle that we so casually call “high school”, I saw peers fall into substance abuse, unhealthy relationships, and give-up on goals before they even tried. It was from these lived experiences that I knew at an early age my purpose in life was to support others recognize and lean into their potential.
When the time came to go to college, I left my desert landscape for that of the cool pines of Flagstaff, Arizona. In this small mountain town, I spent weekends either exploring downtown, hiking various trails, or holed up in a homey coffee shop writing papers and/or editing those of my peers. At one point, I even packed my life into a single bag and moved to a country where I knew no-one and had a very limited grasp of the language: ciao, pizza… and that was basically it. Luckily, espresso is a common love language in Italy and I quickly got my bearing as I spent a semester abroad exploring and meeting people from various other countries and cultures.
This is the part I must confess I did not pursue becoming an English teacher. Instead I found my calling in social work and graduated from Northern Arizona University with a Bachelor of Social Work and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. Seeking new travels and culture, I moved to Miami, Florida. While this time I was only moving across the continental United States, I stuck with my theme of not knowing anyone and not speaking the more common language of Spanish. However, I found the common love language of café con leches and in no time at all I graduated from Florida International University with a Master of Social Work. I eventually returned to Arizona and became a Licensed Master Social Worker.
My love of social work has opened up some amazing doors and I have had the privilege of meeting some incredible individuals and families. I have worked with birth to five as a home-visitor in a couple different capacities. The first time working with high-risk families and focusing on supporting their child’s development. The second time I returned to home-visiting I did so as a Child Therapist often working to support young children who have experienced trauma and their caregivers. However, my passion has always been to working with teens. During my time in Flagstaff I worked at a youth detention center and was first introduced to curriculum development when restructuring the life-skills manual. From there I eventually moved into a program coordinator role for a girls’ probation group with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Flagstaff. In Miami, I was the program coordinator of an after-school internship program for adolescents in high violence neighborhoods. I developed a curriculum focused on life-skills such as career readiness, emotion regulation, and financial literacy. Since returning to Arizona, I found myself again in a role of developing programs in a high school setting, holding trainings for staff, and facilitating parent groups within the community.
It’s funny how life comes full circle; turns out my love of helping people has always been intertwined with my love of reading, writing and education. As early as editing papers in college for my peers, to teaching the foundations of resume writing and cover letters to teen interns, to developing curriculums for programs that are sustainable, I have been supporting people along their personal journeys of growth and goal attainment for many years. This ultimately led to the creation of Acornic Consulting, where I hope to connect with more people and communities in order to plant their vision in a way that will go forward and thrive.
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