Sargent Staff Member Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
Lucia Grochowska-Littlefield, director of the SAR Makechnie Instructional Resource Center, is honored for her work in mental illness.
“I never expected this,” says Grochowska-Littlefield. “It makes me smile. I truly appreciate the special recognition.” She adds that it is the CPR interns who truly deserve the recognition: “They are the ones who have had to achieve and overcome so much.”
An experience during her teenage years drew Grochowska-Littlefield to the field. In the 1960s, one of her relatives suffered from severe depression, quickly losing 60 pounds and becoming catatonic. Grochowska-Littlefield stayed with her as she slowly recovered. She says she keeps that memory in mind as she helps students struggling with mental illness learn to be hopeful about the future.
“I was brought up to believe that everyone is equal,” Grochowska-Littlefield explains. “I accepted this fact, no matter what, and it makes me accept people for who they are. If society as a whole believed this, maybe these students wouldn’t have to struggle, but would instead have a sense of belonging in the world.”
“Lucia teaches people that hope emerges out of their dreams,” says Dori Hutchinson, CPR’s director of services and an adjunct assistant professor of rehabilitation counseling at Sargent. “She nurtures their hope through respectful opportunities, supervision, and guidance. And she gives hope through her gentle, warm, and genuine care.”