Meet Heidi Sawyer

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Heidi Sawyer. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Heidi, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

Throughout middle and high school, I experienced a lot of struggles regarding housing insecurity, due to a very violent home. My childhood home was very tumultuous, my only parent was in and out of entanglements with the justice system and rehabilitation, and from a young age I started living in other people’s living rooms and sometimes my car. While bad things should not have happened, and children and teens need safe homes to thrive, I knew I had to be the one to secure opportunities around me and pull myself to better circumstances. Somehow, I was able to dual enroll in both college and high school, and I even graduated valedictorian from Portal High School in 2020 (gave my speech to a camera, during COVID, for it to be posted online since we couldn’t gather for graduation). I think that, despite the utter hopelessness I felt and grief I experienced in regard to losing stability and security in life, I developed grit. I learned that, sometimes, taking the next right step is all that matters. As someone who has experienced times of struggle in regards to not having basic needs, I have learned to accept that times of struggle are going to happen, and therefore, to embrace change. Sometimes, you can’t control your surroundings in life, but you can control how you respond to them and move through them. More importantly, I cannot credit myself for developing resiliency, I credit my community and people around me. Without friends and teachers that saw me, saw something in me, cared about me, poured into me, and connected me to resources, I don’t know where I’d be. I ended up being able to get an almost full ride to college. I remember touring Berry on a road trip with my friend that I had lived with for a little. It is her support, her family’s support, my teachers’ support, employers’ support, and all of their encouragement in my life that drives me and shows me resiliency is possible. “It takes a village” is not just an old saying, it’s true. I am also big on the phrase, “if I can see it, I can be it.” Having people to look up to as role models opened my perspective and allowed me that courage to see that maybe there is a way for me and that there are actionable steps. On that same note, embracing vulnerability and asking for help has helped me develop resiliency. In summary, I think housing insecurity, financial hardship, a rough home life and eventual loss of a home, all at a young age forced me to become resilient, but it was my community and good people around me that helped me in my development of this resilience.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

Hi! My name is Heidi Sawyer and I am a recent Sociology and Anthropology grad with a minor in Women’s and Gender studies. I am passionate about serving my community, advocating for children, social justice, and access to education. Professionally, I have aspirations in the realm of increasing and improving access to education for students in need as well as improving educational experience for students with backgrounds of hardship and trauma. I hope to teach and eventually work in higher education and policy. I have worked in non-profits, from a DV shelter for women to youth outreach programs, the past four years. I am in the process of applying to graduate programs and positions in which I can serve students in need and make a positive impact in communities in need. In my spare time, I make art! I paint, mostly sunsets, houses, beaches, nature, and florals, as well as draw and make wood burnings. I have sold at markets, but also often through my Instagram, @heidimakesart
It is joyful for me to bring ideas to life through creative means, using my hands, paint, and paper. I hope to create things that others enjoy looking at and having in their home. Making art is freeing to me in that it does not have to make sense to others or necessarily be conventional or typical. Art is all about expression and exercising creativity to me, making it something I never get tired of or see as a useless hobby.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

From my studies (and life), I have developed an area of knowledge regarding how social positionality and socioeconomic status impact one’s lived experience. Being empathetic, considerate, and all around caring about others’ hardships and experiences is important, no matter where you are or what work you’re doing.
Communication! In my opinion, communication is one of the most important skills to have. Clear, open, honest, and kind communication is important to be able to function well on a team, making things happen with other people. In my experience in school and every job I’ve ever had, the importance of communication has only become more prominent and clear to me.
Perseverance. When the going gets tough, it’s okay to rest and go back to the drawing board. But if there is something you really want to do, having the grit to take the steps necessary to get there is a quality I really admire. I think I have persevered throughout a challenging home life and housing insecurity in order to make it to better circumstances. But the in between something bad and something better can get draining and defeating. Having community and not being afraid to ask for help is helpful when trying to persevere hard times.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

I am currently still experiencing housing insecurity. I have been living out of my car and generous friends’ living rooms for a month, trying to secure a stable, long term home. I had housing throughout college, provided by the college, but upon graduating, I have been trying to figure out a secure long term apartment or renting situation, and it’s taken longer than anticipated. I am more grateful than I can put into words for my people —. my friends and network of people have been so supportive in allowing me places to crash while I hunt for a place to live. It’s honestly embarrassing sometimes because it seems like no one else I know has this problem, but I remind myself that everyone has their own unique circumstances, and this is building character for me. It makes me appreciate a roof over my head so much, so that one day (hopefully very soon) when I have my own, I’ll never take it for granted.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Heidimakesart
• Linkedin: Heidi Sawyer