Success Story: Erica Elvove

The path to where I am now has been shaped and landscaped by life’s experiences held dear to my heart.  As a University of Denver (DU) alumnus of the Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW), I give credit to my education in shaping my current placement in life. DU is where the flames of my passion for helping others in my community were fanned, fueled, and refined.

I grew up in the outskirts of Chicago, a granddaughter of a social worker with a strong passion for my dog and for horses.  I made it a point to read every book in the public library about horses.  This, in my parent’s opinion, began my interest in animal-assisted programming.  I once granted each child at my seventh birthday party thirty seconds to visit with my dog, who had been banished to the basement during the festivities.  She had been known to grab cakes off of tables, who can blame her?

Undergraduate studies in Madison, Wisconsin, found me reading and analyzing great works of literature for my major in English, raising dwarf hamsters, and learning about the social welfare system in America for an additional Social Welfare degree.  I moved back to Chicago to work as an Early Intervention Service Coordinator at Cook County Hospital, my first job for people with disabilities.  And then the world knocked at my door….

I left for the Peace Corps in Nepal in 2002 with nothing but a huge backpack on my back that I could barely carry.  I joined fifty-two other volunteers for the journey to San Francisco, to Tokyo, to Bangkok, and finally to the dusty, crowded streets of Kathmandu.  Three months of intensive language, cultural, and practical training ensued with my cohort, including a budding friendship with Justin, who I would marry six years later in a beautiful meadow in Colorado.

First, I would live in a tiny village in the Himalayas with a wonderful Nepali family.  I would learn how to live without running water and without electricity.  I taught in the school and learned from my students.  I danced and sang in the festivals and I respected the family cow for giving us milk.  I learned how to hike in to my home with supplies on my back, how to farm terraced fields that would feed a village, how to live and love life without modern luxuries, how to boil my water for drinking and to sit and be still and learn about how other people in our world live their lives, peacefully and without frills.  It was not easy.  And yet, despite Nepal’s status as one of the poorest countries on the planet, I saw happiness and strength and learned more about life than I could have ever imagined.  I believe all people are capable of such amazing things.

Back in America, I struggled to reconcile my two and a half years abroad with the fast pace of our society’s lifestyle.  I found home in Durango, Colorado, first and worked as a Family Advocate for families on the welfare system.  My desire to learn and to give a part of myself back to the community persisted and I eventually found my way to Denver at DU’s GSSW.  The professors stretched our minds and pushed us to take a good, long, hard look at ourselves first.  And then the lessons brought us to the brink of social justice debate and fired our spirits to take action!

Who knew that my love for animals would eventually mesh with my pursuit of social justice?  DU is the only university in America to offer an Animal-Assisted Social Work certificate program along with a Master’s program in Social Work.  I spent my second year of graduate school taking classes and working as an intern at the Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center (CTRC) in Longmont, CO, where people with disabilities ride horses to meet therapeutic goals.  This beautiful non-profit program helped me spread my wings and develop a miniature horse visitation program called “Mini Troopers”.  The ever-so-cute miniature horse, Carmella, was trained and taken out to multiple visits with folks in an assisted-care facility.  My studies supported a research study on the effectiveness of such programming and I’ve never seen so many smiles!

Upon graduation with my MSW, I was hired on as the Volunteer Coordinator for CTRC.  I manage a team of 250 volunteers, wonderful people who give their time to create the magic of our program.  Every volunteer matters and each rider benefits from their dedication.  And, of course, there are the horses.  There is nothing so beautiful as the human-animal bond and it’s ability to reach us at the deepest level of our biological selves.

DU continues to explore the therapeutic nature of animals in the lives of humans through the GSSW’s Animal Assisted Social Work and Animals and Human Health (AHH) certificate programs.  I am proud to be an Assistant Instructor for the online AHH classes.  My passion for helping those in need remains strong and is only strengthened and supported by my experiences with DU.

DU Career Center

Whether you are just beginning your career journey, or find yourself at a career crossroads, the DU Career Center is here to help. A broad array of services is available at no charge to first year DU alumni; discounted fees apply to individuals who graduated a year or more ago.

To learn more, visit the DU Career center

DU Networking events

Networking with other DU alumni is one of the most enjoyable and effective ways to contribute to your community through volunteer or entrepreneurial projects. The alumni community is very active and there is sure to be an event that meets your needs. The best place to start is at UCAN or the University of Denver Alumni Association. Enjoy the journey!

Purpose Prize

Need some inspiration to ignite your passion?
Read moving stories about the Purpose Prize winners and fellows.
Learn more at Purpose Prize

Ashoka

Want to take the social entrepreneur path?
Learn more at Ashoka.

Encore

Ready for a 2nd or 3rd career?
Find support and resources at Encore.

Principles and Practices

Need help building capacity while demonstrating accountability and transparency?
Read this document developed for Colorado Nonprofits by Colorado Nonprofits.