I started working at the YMCA when I was in College at UW Oshkosh.  My goal was to get experience working with kids so I could get a job working with troubled youth in the criminal justice system.  While doing an internship interviewing parole officers and youth workers, I learned that children are less likely to get into trouble if they have positive connections with adults who care about them and are involved in programs that teach values and show them how to get along with others. I thought to myself that is exactly what we do at the YMCA.  From then on the YMCA has been my choice as a career.  Over the years I have had the honor to watch kids who have grown from a troubled youth into college graduates, local sport stars, and upstanding members of our community.   I am excited that my children are now involved in many programs at the Y and I can see from a parents perspective how the lessons the Y teaches really help develop the skills kids need to become well rounded individuals.