“I had the opportunity to talk with an incredible Uber driver not that long ago. He was positive and engaging, and though I usually like to ride in silence I found I couldn’t help but respond when he started a conversation. Having come from Ethiopia he talked about the opportunities he was pursuing, and his drive to support a family that was half in the US, half back in his birth country. His passion was psychology. He was pursuing an education, and he wanted to use it to aid those who immigrated like he had. He found that mental health held such a stigma in other parts of the world, and people would suffer rather than reach out for help. ‘If they see someone who looks and sounds like them, maybe they will be more willing to get treatment.’ We talked about the cost of his education, and how he was working non stop to get his dream fulfilled. I shared how excited I was for him, and that I would be keeping him in my thoughts – and thanked him for making a 20 minute ride one of the best I’d ever experienced. He was overwhelmed when I gave him the money, and as he read the card attached he reached his hand out and warmly took mine. ‘God bless you and God bless ARG’. Indeed.”

-Meredith Vines