Palmer Trinity School

13 F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 BI R D'S EY E V I EW HARRIE T MOCK IS A MUCH- LOVED MEMBER OF THE PALMER TRINIT Y STAFF. FOR YE ARS SHE'S ASSISTED COUNTLESS MEMBERS OF THE PALMER TRINIT Y COMMUNIT Y WITH E VERY THING FROM MINOR CUTS AND BUMPS TO SERIOUS INJURIES AND PERSONAL PROBLEMS. SHE'S A NURSE, A MENTOR, AND A CONFIDANT TO MANY. WHILE WE SEE HER AROUND CAMPUS OF TEN, WHAT MANY DON' T KNOW IS THE POWERFUL JOURNE Y SHE EMBARKED ON THAT STARTED HUMBLY IN MAINE, CARRIED HER THROUGH THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, AND ULTIMATELY LED HER RIGHT INTO OUR PALMER TRINIT Y HOME. Mrs. Mock always wanted to be a nurse, ever since she was a little girl. Whenever she played dolls she always pretended they were sick, putting bandaids on them and taking care of them. Her love of taking care of others carried over into high school, as she researched top nursing schools in the country. Back then there were few bachelor programs that offered nursing, but she decided to go to Peter Bent Brigham School of Nursing. Mrs. Mock graduated and worked a year in Boston, and then went to Maine to work in pediatrics. She would take the night shifts so that she could ski during the day. "I think nursing is something so deep for me," she said. "Nursing is not a job, it's a calling. I believe I was born to be a nurse. I love caring for people, making them comfortable, helping them overcome their fears, and just being there for people." Mrs. Mock travelled briefly to Holland where she worked at a hospital despite not speaking Dutch. Eventually she began to miss her home and she decided to head back to the United States. When she came back from Holland, the Civil Rights Movement had just begun. "When the 16 th Street Church Bombings happened, the death of those little girls really impacted me," she said. "Something in my heart told me to get involved. So I went to New York City and became active in the Civil Rights Movement with Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights marches." e latter part of Dr. King's movement was focused on anti-poverty efforts, which Mrs. Mock felt a strong connection to. So she started working in the inner cities—in particular the poorest areas of New York. "It completely changed my outlook on life. It even inspired me to go back to Maine and become a Head Start teacher for inner city kids in Portland. I was there for five years, and I won an award from Syracuse University for having a successful Head Start program." Out of all her experiences in her career, one really sticks out the most. "When I went to New York and I marched with Dr. King, one of the guys in the program I worked for was in the World Health Organization. He invited me to go to dinner with the Secretary General of the United Nations to talk about world hunger." Mrs. Mock's passion for nursing is infectious. Her advice to anyone who wishes to pursue a career in the nursing field is to go where your heart leads. With so many good nursing programs available to students, the options are endless. "Who would have thought that someone like me, a little girl from Maine, would have met Martin Luther King Jr. or would have eaten dinner with the Secretary General for the United Nations? Nursing is not an easy job, but I love it. I've never gone to work and thought, 'I don't like my job.' Not one day. How many people can say that?" H A R R I E T M O C K A PA S S I O N F O R H E L P I N G O T H E R S

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