Owen Beird ’22 – Denver, Colorado

Hi Everyone!

My name is Owen Beird (he/him) and I am a senior at Hope College, and I am studying social work. I am from the Holland area so, in an effort to escape the heated sidewalk wonderland, I am spending the fall semester of my senior year 2.5 hours away in Chicago. This fall, I have the opportunity to intern at the AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) in their Road to Health and Housing program. AFC is a nationally renowned organization and I am excited and honored to be a part of the impactful work that is being done there.

I am also excited for the opportunity of spending a semester in a large, culturally diverse city, like Chicago. I am looking forward to all the people, music, public transportation, and deep-dish pizza that Chicago has to offer. Along with gaining meaningful and important professional experiences at the AIDS Foundation, I hope this semester provides me with the positive and negative experiences that accompany life in the city. Experiences on par with the defeat of realizing you forgot your wallet after climbing down the ten flights of stairs, and the triumph of mastering the ins and outs of Chicago’s public transportation. And finally, I hope I am able to effectively share it all with you.