Jason Bess: What are you planning on doing with (your degree) when you get out?
Randi Sosa: Right now I teach. I work with emotionally disturbed children, so I’m looking for something to do differently than teaching.
Bess: That sounds like pretty rewarding work.
Sosa: Oh yeah, it’s a lot of fun, and I still enjoy teaching. I don’t really have any plans. I graduate in May and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do, go back to graduate school. I’m almost turning 50 and I decided I better start.
Bess: So if not teaching, what would you like to do?
Sosa: Actually I’d like to work therapeutically with children and families. I actually just did an internship this past summer at Children’s Memorial Herman Hospital doing social work, and I actually, amazingly found that to be really rewarding. I didn’t realize I would. Social work offers a wide range of possibilities as opposed to getting a master’s in counseling or an LPC or whatever. So I’m just planning for the next 50 years of my life.
Bess: There you go.
Sosa: And social work is something you can work part-time at. They’re always looking for people to do weekends and nights.
Bess: It seems like a lot of times they’re just looking for people, period.
Sosa: Well, it doesn’t pay anything so it’s hard to find people.
Bess: Well, the big news, of course, is the election. What are your thoughts on that?
Sosa: I’m elated.
Bess: (laughing) So I guess you’re an Obama supporter, then?
Sosa: Absolutely, all the way. I’m really excited. I was worried there for a while.
Bess: Do you mean toward the end of the election, when the polls were getting closer?
Sosa: I was just afraid the election was going to be rigged again. I really thought Obama had it, but I was concerned with what might happen in Ohio.
Bess: Like maybe a Florida repeat?
Sosa: Right. And I worry about what’s going to happen. I have two sons who are 20 and 23.
Bess: So just starting out in the world?
Sosa: Right. I was like, "What’s going to happen here?" Especially if things keep going downhill the way they’re going now. And being big into social work, all these issues matter to me, and they didn’t seem to fit with McCain.
Bess: So what do your kids do?
Sosa: They’re in environmental science and photography. So they won’t make any money either.
Bess: Well, money’s overrated.
Sosa: Well, hopefully they’ll enjoy what they do.
