环境科学家变成了社会工作者, GSSW Grad Finds Meaning in Creating Community

In 2017, Toiyabe Hoyopatubbi trekked the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) accompanied by a symphony of sensations—the rustling of leaves, the crunch of their boots 和 the persistent thought of starting something new.  

“科学可能是孤独的，”霍约帕图比想.  

But there they were, mostly alone, hiking 2,650 miles along the coast from Mexico to Canada. 

对于Hoyopatubbi, 谁在环境科学领域工作了10年, the isolating fieldwork 和 secluded office environment left them yearning for a more relational way to make a difference.  

所以，在34岁的时候，他们背井离乡. They took off a year of work 和 spent six 和 a half months on the PCT, navigating its winding paths through diverse l和scapes 和 challenging terrain. Completing the trail—a long-held goal—brought a sense of clarity. They realized they wanted to combine their passions for outdoor education 和 therapy, which ultimately led them to pursue a career in social work.  

Now 41 years old 和 seven years after they first stepped on the PCT, Hoyopatubbi will soon earn a master’s degree in social work from the University of Denver’s 社会工作研究生院.  

Hoyopatubbi, who lives on the Western Slope, is a part of DU’s 四角都市固体废物 在科罗拉多州杜兰戈的一个队列中. The program prepares students for Licensed Clinical Social Work (LCSW) licensure 和 rural 和 tribal social work practice in behavioral 和 integrated health.  

Hoyopatubbi热衷于部落社会工作. 这是非常私人的. As an Indigenous queer person, they want to help others overcome generational trauma. 目前, 他们在土著福利计划工作, 这是一个由Imo Succo创立的非营利组织, 四角项目的校友. 

The pair met last fall when Succo (MSW ’20) spoke to their cohort. 当时, Hoyopatubbi有一个不同的实习, 但在见到苏柯之后, 他们想和她一起工作. Hoyopatubbi started attending 土著Wellbriety's talking circles, where community members listen to sobriety stories of their neighbors. Soon after, Hoyopatubbi asked if they could intern with Succo.  

“They were so motivated 和 willing to do the work,” Succo says. “我们是以社区为基础的. For me, running it [means] coming at it with a lot of education. 这真的是教练和我们在一起.” 

土著Wellbriety’s curriculum is based on the principles established by White Bison, an Indigenous-operated organization dedicated to Wellbriety—a movement to be sober 和 well.  

每周二和周四, 土著Wellbriety hosts talking circles at the Cortez Cultural Center in the town of Cortez, 科罗拉多州, 并可选择通过Zoom虚拟加入, 吸引了来自全国各地的人们.  

The talking circles offer a safe space designed for healing—a blend of tradition 和 peer recovery. 通过优先考虑土著经验, the talking circles provide a more accessible avenue for recovery services. Trauma is a large component of the program, but it’s part of the group’s journey to identify it.  

Hoyopatubbi has found catharsis in the talking circles, too. They’ve opened up, sharing their journey as a nonbinary Indigenous person. In turn, the participants have grown to trust Hoyopatubbi, creating more space for dialogue. 

“They really enjoy Toiyabe’s personality,” Succo says. “我们的团队成员把彼此称为家人. I tell my team, ‘You’re the family I’ve always wanted.’” 

After years of yearning for a more interpersonal career, that’s what Hoyopatubbi has found. 为毕业后的生活做准备, they look back fondly at the journey that led them to DU, 其中充满了曲折, 很像PCT. 

“In social work, the sky’s the limit,” Hoyopatubbi says. “My long-term goal would be to start my own wilderness therapy program for queer Native youth. 这将是我的激情项目.”