Meet Nikki
Nikki was born in southwestern Virginia (Wise), raised in southeastern Kentucky and recently relocated to Roanoke. I am very passionate about mental health, substance abuse treatment, childhood trauma and poverty alleviation for at-risk communities. When it comes to community involvement, I’m heavily involved in health policy research and creation with several organizations aimed at creating solutions for the aforementioned issues.
What strengths did you observe in the family?
The family I visited was a bilingual family and the mother is an immigrant. The family was so brave in the face of so much uncertainly in their new home country, but they were working very hard to settle in. I appreciated how engaged the mother was with her children and their education. Through the challenges they were facing, it was obvious that the family was such a strong support for each other.
What did you learn from family?
Resiliency- even in the face of packing up everything you have and moving to another country where you don’t speak the language with your small children, this family remained focused. Sometimes, in my cozy middle-class life, I get so overtaken with anxiety about everything that could go wrong. Not this family though! They leaned on each other and their case worker and just kept working hard towards their goals.
What were your takeaways?
I had a vague idea of the challenges facing immigrant families moving to America, but to see it with my own eyes was truly humbling. One scene that stuck with me in particular with mom and baby both reading through an English baby book together and the determination mom showed to learn English right alongside her child. Despite the many challenges this family has faced and will continue to face, I took away a sense of knowing that they’re going to get through it together and that was inspiring to see.