糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Graduate Turns Childhood Struggles Into Lifelong Mission to Help Others
After spending much of his youth in Michigan鈥檚 foster care system, Curtis Harris Jr. knew he wanted to pursue a career that would allow him to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others facing similar challenges.
That sense of determination has fueled Harris鈥檚 mission to become a social worker, where he can serve as a steady presence for children navigating the same system that once failed him.
鈥淭he story is only complete when I can change the trajectory of even one foster child鈥檚 life,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat makes everything I鈥檝e been through mean something. I want to be the person who can say, 鈥榊ou can make it, because I鈥檓 you.鈥� Sometimes, having a solid example is all a child needs to have hope.鈥�
Harris knows firsthand the struggles that can come with an unstable childhood. By age 16, he lived in 14 foster homes, two boys鈥� homes, and two juvenile detention centers because there was nowhere else to place him.
鈥淲hen I aged out of the system, I got a check for $250 and was told to figure it out,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was homeless for a little bit. With no blueprint or map, I had to create my own.鈥�
This May, Harris will earn his Master of Social Work from 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, a milestone he sees not as a finish line, but as a new beginning. He鈥檚 already accepted a position as a medical social worker at 糖心Vlog传媒MS and plans to pursue a Ph.D. in social work in the future.
鈥淚鈥檓 not here to write your story,鈥� Harris said. 鈥淚鈥檓 here to help you along the way. You still have the pen. Everyone needs a little help now and then.鈥�
A first-generation college student and father, Harris moved to Arkansas in 2010 to reconnect with his biological father.
鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 have the life I have now if that man hadn鈥檛 extended an olive branch for me to move to Arkansas,鈥� Harris said.
Though that relationship didn鈥檛 last, becoming a father himself inspired him to stay and build a life in Conway. He completed his undergraduate degree in health and behavioral science at the University of Central Arkansas, then sought a graduate program that aligned with his experiences and values. 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 social work program felt like the right fit.
While enrolled at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, Harris balanced full-time work, parenting, and fieldwork in clinical settings. He completed internships at 糖心Vlog传媒MS鈥檚 Longevity Center, 12th Street Clinic, and Family Medicine Clinic.
鈥淚鈥檝e made it look easy, but I鈥檓 very disciplined and very structured,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 wait on due dates. I live my life in five-year increments. I don鈥檛 think about today. I think about what the next five years will look like. Sacrificing now opens doors for the next five years, and that鈥檚 okay. That might just be the resilient side of me.鈥�
His time at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock was also shaped by the support of faculty and peers, particularly during a period of personal loss in his first year.
鈥淲hat stood out most was the community,鈥� Harris said. 鈥淧eople here truly care and want to see you succeed. That鈥檚 what I鈥檒l remember most.鈥�
Harris credits mentors like Dr. Tara DeJohn, Dr. Laura Danforth, Dr. Lance Grahn, Caitlyn Johnson, and Ruth Fissel with helping him grow into the social worker he is today, and he hopes to pay that forward.
鈥淔or anyone thinking about going into social work, I鈥檇 say this: You have to love people. You have to be willing to advocate, even when no one is looking,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his career is not about you. It鈥檚 about the people in front of you. If you can look back 20 years from now and know you鈥檝e changed lives, then you鈥檝e made the right choice.鈥�