I tend to hear often that one of the only things we can count on is change. This year has been no exception. However as we battle through a pandemic, isolation, being frontline workers, family dynamic changes, and social unrest, I also see resiliency, partnership, and the lifting of voices in the unlikeliest of places. We were thrust on this path with little choice, no map, and only the slightest of directions. Yet, we have soldiered on through sorrow and uncertainty, always searching for the light that is just around the corner. I can’t help but think. This is our time. This is our moment.

Often times, my generation hears about these historic moments in time. These stories that were told to us as children of heroic individuals in history who rose to the challenge when presented with adversity. Throughout these stories, we do not hear of the tiredness, the ache, and the disappointment that occurred as they marched on but the consistent focus on the end goal. And sometimes that was just to survive. This year has been unprecedented, however this is our time to make history. On a daily basis, we are leaving a trail, a path for others to follow who will experience their own adversity in the future whatever that may be. May we pull ourselves up every day to leave that path for them.

Joy Brunson-Nsubuga

Joy is the Vice President of the Southeast Region for RI International. She is an expert in Medication Assisted Treatment and is the leader of the RI Opioid Consult team. Joy is also a member of the RI International Diversity and Inclusion Council. She has determined that her purpose in career is the same as her purpose in life; to assist with breaking generational and systemic patterns with compassion, creativity, and consistency.