Charles Syms and Milly Colón 6 mosaics : fall 2010
He showed the way So<strong>me</strong>how, their p<strong>at</strong>hs always crossed. Milly Colón, MSW ’01, <strong>me</strong>t Charles Syms for the first ti<strong>me</strong> in the mid-1980s, when she interviewed him as part <strong>of</strong> a class assign<strong>me</strong>nt. She was an undergradu<strong>at</strong>e studying social work <strong>at</strong> <strong>Buffalo</strong> St<strong>at</strong>e College. He was a clinical specialist <strong>with</strong> Erie County Child Protective Services. The encounter made a lasting impression on Colón. As both were persons <strong>of</strong> color, she saw him as a role model. Syms, now a clinical associ<strong>at</strong>e pr<strong>of</strong>essor in the <strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Social</strong> <strong>Work</strong>, doesn’t re<strong>me</strong>mber th<strong>at</strong> encounter. But in the years th<strong>at</strong> followed, he and Colón would <strong>me</strong>et again and again. They saw each other during pr<strong>of</strong>essional trainings and occasionally they shared clients. She struck him as a leader—so<strong>me</strong>one who worked hard and cared, genuinely, about the people who sought her help. So after joining the faculty <strong>at</strong> <strong>UB</strong>, Syms encouraged Colón to pursue her MSW. “You can do it,” he told her, even if she was a mother raising three young daughters and working full ti<strong>me</strong>. He advised her th<strong>at</strong> an MSW would open doors in her career, providing her <strong>with</strong> the background she needed to advance <strong>at</strong> Lake Shore Behavioral Health, an organiz<strong>at</strong>ion th<strong>at</strong> tre<strong>at</strong>s individuals <strong>with</strong> <strong>me</strong>ntal health and chemical abuse disorders. “It was pretty aweso<strong>me</strong>. It was pretty powerful for him to encourage <strong>me</strong> in th<strong>at</strong> way, you know?” Colón says. “I can’t even begin to put words to it. He doesn’t even really know how much th<strong>at</strong> <strong>me</strong>ant. “Charlie’s a big proponent <strong>of</strong> higher educ<strong>at</strong>ion,” she adds. “Throughout the years <strong>of</strong> our pr<strong>of</strong>essional contact, he just kept talking about it: ‘You gotta go back to school. You gotta go back to school.’ I really did not have a choice once he was teaching <strong>at</strong> <strong>UB</strong>. I had to go. I believe it was <strong>me</strong>ant for <strong>me</strong> to <strong>me</strong>et him and for our pr<strong>of</strong>essional p<strong>at</strong>hs to continue to cross, so th<strong>at</strong> I would have the support I needed to succeed in school.” Completing the MSW program was a struggle. At Syms’ urging, Colón chose to specialize in policy, planning and administr<strong>at</strong>ion in social work instead <strong>of</strong> in substance abuse, the area in which she had already worked for many years. Choosing to concentr<strong>at</strong>e on less familiar subject m<strong>at</strong>ter would enable her to expand her base <strong>of</strong> knowledge. But it would also be a challenge. Balancing school <strong>with</strong> work and parenting left Colón exhausted. Many days, she wondered how she would be able to finish the program. At those ti<strong>me</strong>s, Syms’ support continued to keep her focused. She never took a class <strong>with</strong> Syms, but she would so<strong>me</strong>ti<strong>me</strong>s call him or drop by his <strong>of</strong>fice. “When it got tough and I didn’t want to write one more paper, didn’t want to research one more thing, Charlie and other pr<strong>of</strong>essors and staff I had regular contact <strong>with</strong>, they just continued to say, ‘Yes you can.’ For myself, th<strong>at</strong> made the difference.” Syms <strong>at</strong>tended Colón’s gradu<strong>at</strong>ion. And since then, their careers have continued to bring them together. For several years, they served on a credentialing advisory board <strong>of</strong> the st<strong>at</strong>e Office <strong>of</strong> Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services. The <strong>me</strong>etings were in Albany, and they carpooled. Colón took advantage <strong>of</strong> the long drives to ask Syms for advice on specific client cases or other issues. For Colón, the MSW paid <strong>of</strong>f: Lake Shore Behavioral Health promoted her to be<strong>co<strong>me</strong></strong> director <strong>of</strong> two outp<strong>at</strong>ient addiction tre<strong>at</strong><strong>me</strong>nt programs. Now, she is program director <strong>of</strong> the organiz<strong>at</strong>ion’s Lighthouse Wo<strong>me</strong>n’s Residence. Th<strong>at</strong> Syms doesn’t re<strong>me</strong>mber their first contact is an enjoyable irony for Colón. He inspired her then, and remains an inspir<strong>at</strong>ion now. “I saw him as a pioneer,” she says. “He was just one <strong>of</strong> a handful <strong>of</strong> people <strong>of</strong> color working in th<strong>at</strong> system. And he was in a supervisory position. Seeing th<strong>at</strong>, I thought, ‘OK, people <strong>of</strong> color can, in fact, move in certain directions and make an impact and move along the career ladder.’ Th<strong>at</strong> was why it left such a lasting impression on <strong>me</strong>.” —C.H. mosaics : fall 2010 7
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