Hi! My name is Destiny Hulsey and I am a 23 year old senior here at OU. I'm from Moore, OK so it's super cool that I get the privilege to go to a school I grew up only a city away from. I have always wanted to be some sort of counselor so when I found social work I felt like I hit the jackpot (certainly not monetarily wise)! I hope to work with adolescents struggling with substance use and other co-occurring disorders after I have completed my degree. This is something I am incredibly passionate about and do a lot of work around. I am involved in an organization here at OU called Students in Recovery as a recovery advocate and it's my favorite thing about being here at OU!
On the more personal side, I have an almost six year old son named AJ. He is the goofiest, intelligent and, most kind kid ever, of course I am a little bias. Most of my free time is spent with him or watching him play soccer and basketball. We also both LOVE OU football so one of our favorite things to do is go to games together during football season.
Lastly, I love hanging out with my friends and family and also reading in my spare time. My friends are like family to me and I don't go a week without seeing them once or twice. Our favorite thing to do is to take turns making dinner for each other and then having a game night. My siblings and I are all very close so a lot of my time is spent with them too. I'm an aspiring social worker, so of course I love people! But sometimes my battery gets drained and I have to have alone time. When this happens I enjoy reading, I will read anything really but I like dystopian novels the most. Fahrenheit 451, 1984, and the Unwind Dystology are some of my favorites.
AJ and I at one of the many OU games this season
Hi Destiny!
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to meet you! It must be nice to be able to attend college when you live so close by! Meanwhile, I have to drive close to four hours just to get back home. I also like spending time with my friends and family as it gets my mind away from the stress from all my classes! Hopefully this class won't stress us out too much!
Best wishes and have a great semester!
Hi Destiny!
ReplyDeleteI agree, there is nothing better than attending OU football games in the fall! Also, I too enjoy reading and I've always found dystopian novels intriguing.
As someone who is majoring in something far from social work (accounting), I appreciate those who are willing to step up and try to do something to help people/change the world. Way to follow what you are passionate about and make a difference!
Hi Destiny!
ReplyDeleteYou're so close to graduating; that's awesome! Social work is incredibly valuable to society, and it sounds like you will help so many people (and you probably already have as part of Students in Recovery). I am also a big OU football fan, but I had never really gotten into college football before I came here because my parents went to a small college with no football team. I'm super glad I came here so I can have strong school spirit! Anyway, good luck with your last semester!
Hey Destiny!
ReplyDeleteWe are both Seniors, can graduation come any sooner? (It came out of nowhere but it is also taking too long!!) I am from Norman, so I understand, to some degree, how nice it is to attend a school that is so close to home. The familiarity is really nice. This is something I am having a hard time reasoning with as I choose which law school I want to attend.
I admire your goals for your future. My mother is a licensed alcohol and drug therapist, so I have heard many stories of her experiences with adolescents and substance abuse. It was one of her favorite and most difficult jobs. I also have a passion for helping people. I hope to represent marginalized or voiceless groups in my future career.
Your son is super cute, I bet you all have so many awesome memories together! I love children and have worked with them at daycares and summer camps for many years now.They can be a real handful, but I honestly learn so much from them. Major props to you for handling all the responsibilities you juggle!
Best of luck in your last semester!
Destiny!! I'm a senior, too, in the last year of my BA/MA program at CIS. I'm so ready to be done, I don't know about you! I find it really admirable how passionate you are about social work, and I think your goals say a lot about you as a person. AJ is precious and I bet he is so proud of the work you're doing now. My dad and I bond a lot over football, too; he graduated from Clemson in SC but he actually took a few classes here at OU back in the day, so we like to argue a lot over which team is better. I think you and I know that the Sooners are the superior team, but don't tell my dad that. I also just wanted to say, I LOVE Fahrenheit 451. Reading is a passion of mine, too, and that was actually the book that really got me to love reading. My freshman year of high school, our lit teacher assigned it to us, and I was hooked. 1984 is also a huge favorite of mine. You have good taste!
ReplyDeleteAnyways, good luck this semester! We're almost done!
Hi Destiny!
ReplyDeleteI’ve been thinking about going into social work myself actually. I feel compelled to help people as much as I can, especially people who need it the most. I’m majoring in criminology, so I feel like that would line up nicely! It’s nice to meet someone with similar aspirations! By the way, your son is adorable! Wishing you a great last semester!
Hi Destiny!
ReplyDeleteI am from Little Axe, we are not very far from each other. I live in Moore now! I also feel grateful for growing up so close to the University. I always felt there was a stronger desire to go there since I grew up so close. You are an amazing person for having a 6-year-old son, and I find you very strong for that! That is very inspiring to me, because you are doing it for him to give him the best life possible. You are such a strong woman!
Aspen Endriss
I had not heard about Students in Recovery before, Destiny: that sounds like a great program! Please let me know if you have any events or fundraisers of anything like that this semester, and I will be glad to include that in the announcements. There are always things happening on campus, but the best events to publicize are the ones connected with people in the class!
ReplyDeleteAnd your AJ looks like an adorable little guy. Maybe you can write some stories this semester just for him. You could even write them together, with him being the star of the story! But don't make it a dystopian story: I would say AJ deserves a happily-ever-after kind of story for sure! :-)
Hi Destiny!
ReplyDeleteIt's awesome that you're able to do school while also raising a son! It takes a strong person to be able to do all that work. Also its great that you are so passionate about your major and know what you want to do with your degree. You seem like a such a selfless person and it makes me have more faith in humanity knowing people like you are out there!
Hi Destiny!
ReplyDeleteNice to meet a fellow senior. (Nearly there! just a few more months!)
I would like to applaud you for choosing a career as a social worker. It's a daunting field that needs to be supported more by all of us. I also applaud you for taking on the toughest job of all, being a mother and continuing your education. Just outstanding and an uplifting story.
Hello Destiny,
ReplyDeleteI would like to start off by saying TEXAS SUCKS! I would like to say that I also like the book Fahrenheit 451. It is very neat that you are wanting to become a social worker. I have heard that this can be a very difficult job because you have to deal with kids sometime. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this.
Hi destiny its amazing you want to become a social worker! Its great its something you are powerful about because im sure its needed in that field! Also i didnt know that there was that student in recovery before thats pretty cool that you are involved in that as well. I wish you the best! the picture with you and your son is adorable!
ReplyDeleteHi Destiny! It's so cool you found something you look forward doing with social working. I'm excited to start my career in chemical engineering. I'm from Lawton and I also feel grateful that home isn't too far away. I love college because of finding friends that are like extended family, my roommate and I are best friends and the rest of the group lives right next door! Good luck on finishing up your degree!
ReplyDeleteHey, Destiny!
ReplyDeleteI love that you are looking forward to your future career in social work! I am an english ed major, so I am sure that in my career I will be working with social workers in my field. I think you must have a great heart to be able to become a social worker in Oklahoma in the current CPS/DHS climate. I have been through the system, so I know how rought it can be. Best wishes to you and graduation!
Hey Destiny!
ReplyDeleteYour aspirations sound completely awesome, and are pretty inspiring. I think it's cool that you're going into social work. Also, AJ is absolutely adorable!! I also love dystopian novels, and you listed some really great ones. I haven't read the Unwind Dystology, so I'll definitely have to check it out!
Hey Destiny!
ReplyDeleteI just came from reading the biography you wrote, and I have to say that I am really glad that I read it first. I feel that, having read the biography, I get to understand your motivations and hopes just a little bit better. I think it's great that you want to go into social work. We simply don't have enough caring and compassionate people in that field. I'm sure your personal experiences are a great motivator and, consequently, I really do hope that you achieve your goals! On a less serious note, I am also a fan of dystopian novels! I loved Farenheit 451 and 1984! If you haven't read them already, I would recommend A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley or the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld.
Hi Destiny. Having read your biography and now your introduction, I find your major and career choice so much more meaningful. I think it is amazing that you took such a tragic chapter of your life and turned it into a purpose to help those that need it the most. AJ looks like such an adorable little boy, I think it is great that you take the time to share hobbies with him, that is a time that he will forever treasure! I completely understand your battery getting drained. I want to go into psychotherapy, so I also love people, but sometimes you just need to take some time to care for yourself and do things on your own. I think it's great that you know what works for you to destress. I have not read those novels you mentioned, but I will definitely look them up. It was great meeting you and good luck with the rest of the semester!
ReplyDelete