Kathryn Sherwood (L), Taylor Thomas (R), Libby Burfoot (B)
Hope Cottage is home to three new interns this semester-Taylor Thomas and Kathryn Sherwood through UT Arlington and Libby Burfoot through the Professional Internship Program at the Richardson Independent School District.
Taylor and Kathryn are both completing their masters in Social Work at UT-Arlington. Before their degree can be awarded they must each complete five hundred hours working at Hope Cottage.
Taylor was born and raised in Van Alstyne, Texas and moved just a few miles up north to attend Oklahoma University in Norman, OK. There she earned her BA in Social Work. Taylor chose Hope Cottage for her internship due to the variety of programs offered by the organization and because she finds adoption interesting. While working at Hope Cottage she will work in both the Infant Adoption program and the Foster to Adopt program. Between school and the internship Taylor doesn’t have much spare time but in her precious free time she likes to spend them with her dog Pearl, a Yorkshire terrier. Taylor also enjoys curling up with a good book. While attending OU Taylor was a proud member of the National Society of Leadership and Success maintaining an impressive GPA of 3.5 or above. Taylor previously worked as a suite runner at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, intermingling with the rich and famous as they watched the game. As if Taylor is not interesting or impressive enough she is also able to boast a Native American heritage from the Osage tribe with the card to prove it. She enjoys working at Hope Cottage and feels that it’s a good fit for her as an intern.
Kathryn received her BA in Elementary Education from Eastern University in Pennsylvania. She held the honor of being placed on the Dean’s List for her outstanding academic accomplishments. Kathryn began working in education and realized that she enjoyed the ability to build relationships with the children but was not enjoying teaching. Kathryn’s close cousin’s friend adopted a child, giving Kathryn the opportunity to see the adoption process “up close and personal” allowed Kathryn to realize that working in adoption would allow her to help children find permanent homes. With this goal in mind Kathryn returned to school to begin to earn her Masters in Social Work. Kathryn cherishes time with her friends and is very active in the young adult studies at her church. She loves the small atmosphere of Hope Cottage where she says it’s easy to fit in and feel comfortable.
Libby Burfoot is a senior at JJ Pearce High School in Richardson ISD and was selected to participate in the competitive Professional Internship Program. Participants in the PIP program are all seniors and are selected from the four high schools in the Richardson Independent School District. Born and raised in Dallas, Libby participates in several activities in and out of school including Girl Scouts, Marching Band, Concert Band, National Honor Society, and her church youth group. Libby has been accepted to all eight of the colleges to which she applied and is currently deciding between her top three choices of Trinity University, Auburn, and A&M. With skills and talents in writing, speaking, and interacting with others Libby has decided to intern in the career field of Public Relations. Libby’s not all straight-laced though. In her spare time she loves to boot scoot to the sounds of Brooks and Dunn and George Strait and with the help of her best friend, creates her own line dances. Their most recent creation is to the catchy get-up-and-dance tune of Boot Scootin’ Boogie by Brooks and Dunn. At home she has her ‘babies’, two corgi siblings named Abby and Teddy and a cat named Roy. She loves to read and is currently hooked on the TV show Modern Family as well as Law and Order SVU. Libby is so happy to be placed somewhere as nice and friendly as Hope Cottage and feels it’s a positive experience for her as she tries to figure out what she wants to do in school and in life.
Today’s guest blogger is Libby Burfoot.
Hope Cottage is the oldest nonprofit, non sectarian adoption agency in Dallas. Since 1918 Hope Cottage has been building and nurturing strong families through counseling, education and adoption services.
If you have questions about adoption, please call Hope Cottage at 214.526.8721.
If you are a woman facing an unplanned pregnancy and would like to talk to someone about adoption, please call Hope Cottage at 1.800.944.4464 or 214.404.4546.
