Sticks and stones…

Sticks and stones will break your bones, but words will never hurt you. 

Growing up in a small town in rural Central Washington, I remember my parents and everyone around me saying this anytime someone said something hurtful or was bullying me. It did absolutely nothing for me and I always thought it was such a broken idea. Words can be very hurtful. Sometimes words can be more hurtful than a stick or a stone ever could be. 

As I grew into a teenager I had a class where I was asked to create a personal mission statement. It was in that class that my personal mission statement of “The world needs more people doing what they do best” was born. It has guided me throughout my life because I believe that when people are doing what they do best they are happier, healthier, and able to make a positive difference in the world. 

After twenty-plus years as an award-winning fast-growth entrepreneur in Canada and the United States, I achieved my goal of retiring two months ahead of my 40th birthday. Suddenly, I went from working 100 hours a week to being at home with two teenagers, an Instant Pot, and a global pandemic. It was a couple of years later when my son challenged me to challenge myself by doing more with my life. That very day I applied to the College of Southern Nevada and decided to begin the long journey toward becoming a physician to meet Southern Nevada’s tremendous shortage of doctors. I worked extremely hard and earned a 4.0 GPA and have gone on to earn a full STEM Scholarship at UNLV, where I am working to earn a B.S. in Biology- Pre-Professional with Minors in Chemistry and Spanish. 

Throughout my life, I have been by the side of close friends who battled chronic mental illness and whose children have struggled to find the mental health care they desperately needed in our community. I feel personally called to be part of the change in our community. It is an honor to be serving the Community Counseling Center of Southern Nevada as we expand our services, programs, and partnerships to amplify the mental health support that is available to the people of Southern Nevada. Together we can achieve great things for all Nevadans, so we can each live our best lives and do what we do best. 

Written by Krista Whitley, CCC Board Member