Karah Greene, MSW, is a University of South Florida doctoral student whose academic journey reflects the transformative power of lifelong learning. From graduating as a quiet undergraduate student during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to becoming an accomplished researcher, Greene shares how mentorship, curiosity and a willingness to embrace new opportunities have shaped her path. In this conversation, Greene discusses her work in HIV research and implementation science, including efforts to create stigma-free, person-centered systems of care. She also reflects on how personal experiences sparked her passion for research and why human connection, empathy and community-centered approaches will remain indispensable in an era increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.
Learn more about the BSW offered at the University of South Florida here.
Learn more about the MSW offered at the University of South Florida here.
Learn more about the School of Social Work at the University of South Florida here.
Chris Groeber: Well, hello and welcome back to the Remarkable podcast. As you guys remember, we talk to people who are really remarkable and that are associated with our program at USF. I am so excited to spend a little time with this person. Anytime I can grab a moment with Karah, I grab it just because she's just one of those people that just embodies peace, and just, Karah, you're just a lovely person to always be around. In the interest of full disclosure, Karah was my student. I had to ask her six years ago, and we went through COVID together at the end of the semester, and even then, and Karah, you can probably relate to this since you're now a woman training all over the world. But you know how when you've got somebody who's really engaged with what they're saying to you, how it gives you energy when you're up in your training and it, you know, kind of gives you life? You know what that feels like? You know what I'm talking about?
Karah Greene: Yes, definitely.
Groeber: Well, you are one of those people. And so, one of the things we talk a lot about in this podcast, and I'm going to let you introduce yourself, but I want to lay this groundwork, is the concept of using learning as a coping mechanism. And for me, you embody that. You embody that whole concept of using learning as a coping mechanism on so many levels. And so, I'm going to let you share with people over time just kind of how much you want to share. But tell the listeners a little bit about yourself. Bring them up to speed. Bring them up to 2026 since we last left you in child maltreatment class during COVID.
Greene: Sure. So, thank you for the warm introduction. I will say my BSW program experience at USF was a huge turning point for me and where I saw myself professionally and education wise. So, I was in your course in child maltreatment and graduated in May of 2020 with my BSW, height of COVID, worked as a case manager, a child welfare case manager for a little bit. And I knew during my BSW, based on the articles I was reading for my coursework, that I wanted to know a little bit more about research and what that looked like. But at that time, I didn't have any research experience. So, I was reaching out to faculty and I ended up working with Dr. Jerome Galea at our school, whose research interests working with people living with HIV aligned with mine. And I did that through my MSW, which I did advanced standing online part-time and graduated in December of 2021, and I knew at that point, based on the experiences I had, that I would want to keep going after my masters.
Groeber: So what, how is it that somebody in their BSW, you know, somebody who's fresh faced and 21 years old just decides, “I think I want to be a researcher.” What was it about that that really grabbed you?
Greene: I think our faculty at the school do a great job of connecting research with policy and practice and really honing in on the fact that everything we do as social workers is based on this evidence that we have that it's going to be effective and work. And I knew I wanted to be a part of, “okay, well, how is that evidence created, formed, collected, disseminated?” I knew I wanted to be a part of that process. So that's what kind of piqued my interest initially.
Groeber: Okay, why HIV? What got you into that whole lane?
Greene: Did you say why HIV?
Groeber: What, yeah, what, what, what perked your interest there then? How did you narrow it down?
Greene: Yeah. So, I do have a family member who's living with HIV that I've worked with very closely in the course of my life. And I knew when I took Dr. Galea's courses, he taught human behavior in the social environment in my bachelor's. He was talking about his experiences working with this population. And so, I knew there was going to be an interest there just from my personal experience, what I knew about HIV, stigma and how it manifests. I knew that early on, even though I didn't quite have the language for it and I knew I wanted to do something about it.
Groeber: So it was a personal experience that drove you to action then, really, that it kind of came from your like family and your experience there and you thought, “I think I might be able to solve this by asking really good questions,” or at least contribute, right?
Greene: Yes, yes.
Groeber: So you got your 2021 and then you decided to come back and get a PhD? Is that right?
Greene: Yeah, well I did take a little bit of a break, and I started the PhD program in 2023.
Groeber: Okay, and where are you in the PhD program now?
Greene: I have successfully passed my qualifying exam, which is usually completed the end of your second year after you've completed all your coursework. And now I am in the middle of writing my proposal and hoping to defend that in the fall.
Groeber:So tell us about your research, then tell us about, like, dig in with me a little bit. Because guys, I don't know if you follow us on LinkedIn, but if you follow us on LinkedIn, we feature Karah regularly. And she just got back from New Orleans. Was it New Orleans you were at with Dr. Littlewood?
Greene: San Antonio.
Groeber: San Antonio, all right, and presenting her work. So, tell us a little bit about the actual work. Tell us what excites you and jazzes you.
Greene: Sure. So, through my studies and as a social worker and as a researcher, I am really focused on implementation science. So, that is when you have the evidence base, when you know something works, how is it implemented in the real world? And unfortunately, while we have quite a bit of evidence of things that work, what we find in research is after that grant period ends, how much of it is still sustained or continuing to be implemented? Especially for those who need the intervention the most. So that's where I focused my research. With Dr. Littlewood in the National Association of Social Workers in HIV and AIDS, I had the opportunity when we were in San Antonio last month to present a implementation process of, it's called the red carpet entry, where we're creating an HIV clinic here in Hillsborough County, which is a priority jurisdiction by the federal government for ending HIV due to the high levels of cases we have of people living with HIV. And so, what we want to do with this HIV clinic is create a status-neutral, stigma-free care environment, regardless of where you are on the HIV care continuum. You know, if you're seeking PrEP, which is pre-exposure prophylaxis, or you are living with HIV and in need of ongoing treatment and care.
Groeber: So, judgment-free zone, basically.
Greene: Yes, and so that's kind of the at the heart of what I am hoping to keep doing in the HIV space.
Groeber: So let's talk about that. I mean, that's a ... in this day and age, especially, I would think, when people are so polarized about things they feel, right? How do you coalesce a group of judgment-free people? How do you know, like when you're talking to people, what's your litmus test for judgment-free? I'm really curious how ... how you know, you know, somebody when you see them and think, “oh, this would be a good person to involve in our red carpet and our red carpet program”?
Greene: My litmus test looks a little bit like mostly listening at first. What kind of language are you using? If we're talking in the context of HIV, you know, are you saying a person living with HIV, people affected by HIV, but not saying infected or HIV infected or, you know, how are you talking about people who may be disproportionately impacted? Are you talking about, you know, a person who injects drugs, a person who uses drugs, or that person-centeredness, rather than these labels that we kind of exert on other people? And that comes from a place more of judgment.
Groeber: Right, right. And so you listen to their words, you have a discussion, and you spend time with them. What impact do you see from your work? How do you see that self-manifesting itself in the day-to-day in practice? So, the stuff you've learned, how do you use it on the daily? Talk a little bit about how you bring your full self to the work.
Greene: I love that question. So, I would start by first acknowledging that it's constantly evolving. I'm constantly evolving and kind of circling back to that first question about, like, social work. I do feel like this major, this profession, found me and aligned really well with my personal values at the time. But on a day-to-day, how this work shows up and how, you know, everything that I've learned impacts how I interact with the world and the people in it, is really coming to conversations more from a level of curiosity. If I don't know …
Groeber: Yeah.
Greene: You know, interest, genuine interest in how people are feeling, how they're thinking, why they're thinking, what they're thinking, and also the interpersonal effectiveness that we learn just by virtue of what the classes were given in the curriculum.
Groeber: Yeah.
Greene: I feel that our curriculum gives us the opportunity to be more open-minded than when we first start the program.
Groeber: So let's talk about that in just a second, because you really kind of described using learning as a coping mechanism. If you want to go back to that kind of still small voice that I remember, you know, during COVID in the classroom, talk a little bit about how learning has emboldened you, how to address things like imposter syndrome, which we all feel at some level, but I'm sure you felt keenly when you went in to be a case manager and things like that. How did you use learning? Because it seems to me, like I said this, I'll give away the end before we start. You really use learning to cope.
Greene: Yeah. Yes, I so as far as learning in undergrad during the BSW program in my classes, I entered USF not really, probably speaking as much as I do now, as, you know, really just taking everything in at that point in my life. But it was through the program, through learning, through the material we were covering in class, the connections that were being formed with faculty and with my peers in the program, where I was like, okay, this is, this is, this feels great.
Groeber: Do you remember, Karah, do you remember sentinel moments? Do you like, do you have examples in your head where you're like, “oh my God, there was a huge growth moment?” Or was it just, it just happened over time? So, when you look back, do you have moments where you're like, you just knew that this was a sentinel moment for you? Or was it, like I said, was it more of a process?
Greene: I think more of a process, but I can pick out key things that I knew boosted my confidence and helped me find my voice, which would be like in class when we had group discussions, which is, I mean, the social work programs are very discussion-based. You know, we're … between field placement and role plays and just conversations with the instructor. It's very conversation oriented and how we're learning things. And the faculty and my peers who, when I would talk, people were listening. That was a game changer for me, um, and then, and then that faculty, I, I think, the mentorship I received at the school and still receive at the school as far as, “wow, people really want to hear my opinion or my perspective on something. Oh, they really think that something I'm saying has like value.” That was … those moments added up and hugely impacted, one, me continuing to the PhD program and making that decision to do so, and two, how I interact with others now personally and professionally. Like there's more of a … it definitely has quieted imposter syndrome, although it's still present.
Groeber: Well, you're, well, I think it's present. I think if we do it right, it's present for our whole entire lives. Because ideally, you're always learning something new that you feel kind of imposter-ish, you know, and you know, there's, I still feel it.
Greene: Yes, yes.
Groeber: I think, though, it's really interesting to me, the transition from student to colleague. How has that experience been for you? Because now you teach alongside us and you are a colleague. I mean, and so how has that transition from student to colleague been for you?
Greene: It has been interesting. I, yeah, I think there's still a, well, there's always going to be a level of, especially in the academic space, that's kind of the structure of things, that there's this ongoing mentorship.
Groeber: Yeah, I'm sure.
Greene: Even if the dynamics are slightly, you know, slightly changed or adjusted. And I love that. What I think has made it a smoother transition is that I've had faculty support as mentors from, really, day one. And I think the open communication that I feel with my mentors really shapes, you know, what it's like when I walk into the School of Social Work or when we're in virtual meetings. There's this ongoing growth process, I think, on both sides where we're learning from each other and there's this mutual respect that I think is great.
Groeber: Yeah, yeah. What do you think makes a good mentor?
Greene: Oh, a lot of things. One, before I answer this though, I will say, I think it's really important to have a network of mentors where you have … we all have our strengths. And so one thing about a successful mentor or a great mentor for me is that they know what their strengths are and they're well connected to other people who may have strengths in other areas. And they help you connect to those people as well.
Groeber: Yeah.
Greene: And I see that from all of my mentors who I have great respect for, where they know what they're good at and they are open to sharing what those processes are, but then they also are really well connected to other people. And I think it goes back to, like, how mentorship is really a relational thing. It's not transactional. It's, yeah, it's the back and forth.
Groeber: And isn't it a great thing to pick your mentors, to like really like look across the full scope of what's possible and pick people that you think you would jam with, you know?
Greene: Yes, yes.
Groeber: And to see people that like, they've gotten certain things that you want to learn from them, right? That like, there are certain people I look at and I think, gosh, I want to learn that. I wonder if they could teach me that. And that excites me, you know?
Greene: Me too. Yep. That's how and that's how all of my really great connections have started is this this interest in what they're doing and seeing what they're doing and being, you know, like, whoa, I want to be a part of that. I want to learn that.
Groeber: What do you think it is? That's interesting because what do you think that is? And we can discuss a little bit. What do you think that is that makes us want to learn from people? What are the things, when you look at somebody like, pick one of your mentors in the past and you look at them and you think, I really want to learn that? What is it about that interaction that makes it good? Because I think this is an important discussion for both people that are seeking a mentor and people that want to be a mentor, right? What do you think it is about that interaction that makes you want to learn from them? What is it about somebody that makes you want to really want to know what they know? Can you think, I mean...
Greene: I'm actually, so I'm going pick, I'm going pick you as the person I'm picturing right now, because I do consider you one of my mentors.
Groeber: Well, I will say this, I'm honored to do that. You've not shared that with me, but I really want you to know that makes me feel really good because when, like I said, when somebody sits there and they want to learn, it makes me want to teach harder. So anyway, go ahead. What were you going to say?
Greene: I think that's the answer to your question, actually, is the engagement. So ...
when I was in your classes, when I was in, specifically child maltreatment, I think it was like one of the first cohorts of child maltreatment you had.
Groeber: It was, yeah, it was back, yeah. And we were just starting it.
Greene: Okay. Yeah, and I, there was this level of engagement and passion for what you were teaching us and just in genuine, like, investment and interest in how we were doing in our placements and in our experiential learning. And so, I think that is on both sides, when both people on the side of like in a mentoring relationship are invested in a similar outcome and in this case, it was that we wanted to be successful case managers. We wanted to know what we were walking into and the way you taught was not ever, you never, and this is from all of my mentors really, is there's never a talking down, even though that you have a wealth of experience beyond what I have in this topic, this area. A great mentor treats you with value or that there's a there's a equal level, even though there there's not because of some dynamics in some cases.
Groeber: No. I don't know that there's not, because there, you know, we're all learners and we all can be teachers, right? I mean, and so in that sense, I've had so many students who were my best teachers, right? And so even though, you want to talk about imposter syndrome, and you know this because you've taught some, stand in front of a group of really smart, curious, really good, bleeding heart social workers or future social workers who want to change the world and walk that line between the realism of what's out there, right? I'm teaching social policy this summer, and of course, teaching social policy in 2026, it's kind of like late night comedy. It just writes itself. I mean, it's crazy because now everybody's decided policy matters, right? Now they're like, “oh, yeah, policy matters,” and so there's been like this giant wake-up call and people are really looking at why policy matters, because whether it's their paycheck and where their paycheck's coming from. But it's really it's relevant. And I think it's really, really important where the students come in, where the students are the best teachers, is they remind me on the daily how relevant that actually is, right? Because they're in various stages of their life. Maybe they've got somebody who's substance misusing, or they've got somebody who's not fully documented in their family, or they are a single parent looking for childcare. You know, all of a sudden, that relevance comes alive in a very deeply personal way that makes it fun to figure out then how policy, for example, or how macro practice links into all of that. And so really, the teacher becomes the student.
Greene: Yeah.
Groeber: Because I got to adapt it to you and why that's relevant to you. And so, to me, that's sometimes that's a challenge and it's a really cool challenge that can keep old content, standardized theoretical approaches very fresh, if that makes sense.
Greene: Yes, 100%.
Groeber: You know, and I really enjoy ... but you've got to have somebody on the other end who wants to learn, right? And so, it really takes two learners, I think, for it to be really as successful as it can be. Now, we're learning different things, but both of us are learners.
Greene: Yes, this actually reminds me of, I took the Educator Development and Growth and Excellence, the Edge series in the College of Education.
Groeber: I heard about the Edge series. I heard it was really good. Plug for the Edge series.
Greene: It was ... fantastic. Highly recommend. I know they're going to keep having cohorts for faculty and for graduate assistants who are in teaching roles. But we had a whole session, one of the five or six workshops on the relational aspects of teaching and how an educator's presence, and yes, the bi-directional, you know, I'm learning from you, you're learning from me relationship, how that impacts both sides of, you know, teaching and learning, because you're right, we're both, we're doing both.
Groeber: Well, and I think the other thing that's important are learning styles and to realize not everybody's got the same learning style. And so, I think how information is shared and figuring that out, it's hard for an old man. I'm telling you to stay current on my podcasts and to stay current on all my reading and to stay current, it's just enough currency to keep up. Because you guys are learning in a rapid fire, like AI wasn't even a twinkle in our eyes when I was going through all of this, you know? And so now to see you guys have this full, I think about this, Karah, think about the fact that trauma and the research on children's trauma is so new. ACEs, that's relatively new, and when I started, gosh, 40 years ago, we innately knew there was trauma and we knew it was bad, but we had no theoretical real principle to hang our hat on with that and you just kind of figured it out. I just think about the access you guys have and the rapid fire nature of research. How does that, like, does that ever ... what kind of an intervening variable for you as a current and future researcher that this is what you want to do in your career is the rapid fire nature of knowledge for you. Gosh, this is a really, this is really a bougie conversation, isn't it? I mean, who knew? That was not my intent, but now we've gotten there, so.
Greene: No, that's how things kind of go sometimes. That's fine. I um ... we are learning, I think we're definitely in this information age where everyone, regardless of where they are in our life course, feels this need to like constantly be catching up and up-to-date and there's just so much information being disseminated so fast, and also, is it correct? Is it valid? Right. So also, like being a critical consumer, what does that look like? And so, as far as, especially if we're talking in the context of AI, in the research world, finding a way to use AI to you know, think smarter, not harder, so to speak. So how can we still make sure that the work we're doing is accurate and true and valid, but also when we're doing, let's say, we need to review the literature for existing information on, you know, topic A. How can we use AI to gather information more quickly and efficiently while still making sure that the information is accurate?
Groeber: So, what? You said something that triggered something. So, what in 20 years, what do you think it looks like? I mean, will people still be doing research or will we just be putting a really good prompt in or thinking a prompt and it spits out? Where do you, I mean, prognosticate with me a little bit. Where do you think this thing ends up? Do you have any ideas, any thoughts?
Greene: I know very, I have very limited awareness of all that AI is doing right now. I do know some faculty who are involved in some simulation work that's pretty amazing, but I can really only speculate that I don't see research going anywhere. Do I see it changing or, you know, what the role of a study coordinator looks like? Or yes, I think there's going to be different roles, different processes different workflows that probably incorporate AI. But I think research will change. I don't think, I don't think it's going to, you know, go away.
Groeber: I just keep thinking about like when I was in 8th grade and I can remember taking algebra for the first time, right? And oh, you've got to have algebra. You know, you've got to have, you're going to really need algebra, algebra, algebra, algebra. It was a big freaking deal, right? And I can remember a teacher saying to me, “you will never have access to a computer 24/7 or to a calculator 24/7. You know, you're going to have to, these were problems you're going to have to solve.” And now, you know, we sit on our iPhone and like, have you done algebra since 8th grade? No, I've not done algebra since 8th grade. And so when I think about that, and I apply it to how rapidly, just in the past, like five years, four years, three years, AI has taken hold. I think it, I just wonder how we keep research from going the way, and excuse me, mathematicians out there, and you can, if I'm totally wrong, I'll own my wrongness about this, but I don't use algebra. I love the concept of learning to think a certain way, but I don't use algebra anymore because I can figure it out on my phone. How do we keep real research from going that way? Do you know what I'm saying? I mean, I didn't mean to cheapen it. But, but it is something I think about is, how do we keep people really engaged and involved in research and not just let it be some ethereal server farm somewhere that does all of our work for us.
Greene: That's a great question. And I think that leads right into, well, the kind of research I do specifically is so focused on community and people who are experiencing a certain thing, whether that's HIV or aging or a health condition or stigma. Um ... AI can't water down these really human emotional experiences that, at the end of the day, I think, you know, one of my mentors, she is a huge proponent, early adopter, using AI for anything and everything that she can. But she talks about the value of social work specifically, and that we're dealing with social human problems, which will need humans on the other side of it that there's going to be, AI can help, especially like in training and helping give people the tools. But I think social workers …
Groeber: And I think frameworks. I think AI is really good at frameworks and outlines and things like that. But yeah, I agree with you, the real work gets done inside of that. Like, AI may give me a list of questions, but as a framework, but the really interesting piece is the answers to those questions and how we respond after that.
Greene: Yes, and also like, yeah, human to human, it's research too, when we're talking about these, what can be really sensitive topics, I think there's a humanness that's needed when you're navigating certain conversations.
Groeber: So what that means then, I think, is that we've got to go back to the reasons people went into social work, right? We've got to go back into the why and embrace that why, because so many of us went into the field, whether it was beknownst to us at the time or for me, it was unbeknownst to me at the time, but to really make sure certain things didn't happen the way they happened with me, to make sure certain people were taken care of, maybe sometimes to be the adult in the room when there wasn't an adult for you. I mean, so many of us go into it in a way, and I don't mean this in a negative way, but to fix things that weren't quite right when we were growing up, right? To fix relationships, to make sure nobody has to feel as alone as you, you know, the person you mentioned in your family because of their HIV status, they're somehow left on an island or they're somehow less than, to make sure that doesn't happen to more people. So, it really is, you know, we've kind of come full circle because it really is that personal piece that puts you there that really makes what you do relevant. Does that make sense?
Greene: Yeah, yeah, the purpose underneath it. What is that?
Groeber: Yeah, and I think that's what keeps us, as social workers, will keep us current. As long as we remember that purpose, right? And as long as we create space for that, as long as we create … there's an emotional intelligence to that, that's not IQ driven, I think that's EQ driven. And to value that emotional intelligence alongside that ability to run those formulas and talk about those theories and understand the underpinnings of those theories. There's still a really important piece that I hope in social work education, that thing that like we talked about at the beginning, that attracted you to your mentors.
Greene: Yeah.
Groeber: There's an essence to that that I think is really, really important and we probably need to figure out a way to make it central to everything else we do. I don't know.
Greene: Yeah, I definitely think that we all come into the social work profession, often being on the other side, maybe as a consumer or someone who, like, social work exists because of social problems and all of us have been touched in some way by a social problem, at least, you know, several.
Groeber: Yeah. Right and we'll be again. Right? I mean, that's the whole thing. I always say that we are one car accident away from, one paycheck away from, one sickness away from being the people that we serve and at any given point, we are those, we are them. They are us. And to run away from that common humanity that we share, even though that's our tendency, because maybe that wasn't the best time for us, right, and to build that separation, I think we got to be really careful about that because that's a slippery slope.
Greene: Yes, and I think, like, you're so right, as far as we want that level of awareness and what we might have experienced, that's, you know, might be a driver for why we do what we do as social workers, without putting our experiences on the client, you know, that transference piece, it's a balance for sure.
Groeber: Right, right. There's that ability to relate, right? To be motivated by somebody else's need, and they don't necessarily have to know what our motivation was. Heck, I didn't know what my motivation was until I was in my 50s. I really didn't. But I think people don't necessarily, they just need to know that we get it.
However, we, however, we can you know, share that, that we get it. And not only that we get it, but even if I don't get it, that I support you figuring out how to get it, right? So that's that whole learning piece. So, I need to learn what Karah needs so that I can be in partnership with her to help her succeed.
Greene: Yeah.
Groeber: Um ... I don't know. I just think that you do it so naturally, Karah. You cope through learning so naturally. And I just, again, I harken back six, seven years ago to that quiet young woman in the back of the classroom. At the time, whenever you spoke, people listened because you didn't speak so regularly, right?
Greene: Yeah.
Groeber: But then, but then what happened is they began to hear what you were saying and they began to listen to you, aAnd the content of your character, Karah, was so clear in your communication that we could not help but pay attention because it was character that we want, that we aspired to, that we wanted to emulate. There was a peace, even though some of your past may have been disruptive, there was a peace you brought personally to that learning environment that felt like sunshine and we really like that. So just know that.
Greene: Thank you so much. I … my educational experience has been incredible and a huge part of, you know, we talked, you were bringing up things that we all have past experiences that may have brought us into the profession we have, the social work and what USF School of Social Work gave me was like these puzzle pieces, and yeah, like recognizing what my purpose was, like what was driving me, what was motivating me, nd for some people, you know, you're in your 50s and you find it, and fortunately, I was able to see it in these classes that I took with my mentors.
Groeber: What a blessed gift that is. I'm serious, that's a that's that's a gift, and ...
Greene: It really, it has been, yeah.
Groeber: Yeah. I mean, because now you speak with a presence that, like I said, I'm just getting my sea legs underneath me. But you can speak with authority in a presence that I can't imagine at your age. And I think it's what learning about yourself first and foremost, but then learning, and you mentioned the other “L” word that I think is so mission critical is listening.
Greene: Yeah.
Groeber: I mean, listening is a skill that a lot of people ... listening and hearing. As when I say listening, I'm full on listening and taking in and hearing is what I'm talking about.
Greene: Yeah, the full picture.
Groeber: The full picture, and I think you, because of your ability to be silent, have done a really good job at that. I mean, almost a masterful job, actually, which is really incredible to see what I think potential impact that's going to have. It's not just your knowledge, but it's your presence and I think that to me, that's the whole package, right? When you can walk into a room full of people who are impacted in whatever way by HIV, and they feel that 100% acceptance, that red carpet, which is a great name, by the way, that red carpet treatment, you embody that, and what a gift. What a nice balance for the researchers, but what a gift to the people that you're impacting through the research.
Greene: Thank you so much.
Groeber: So ... for that, I want to say how proud I am of you. Like I have any right to be proud of you, but I am. I'm so proud. This is guys, when guys that you're listening, this is like, there are a lot of students like Karah. I mean, this is, this is the cool thing is there. There's a lot of people who are on their journey and can be raw and honest about their journey and that's what I love about education is it's a scaffolding time, right? Where you've got the scaffolding and you can make mistakes and you can explore and you can say, you don't have to nail the words. That's all right, we'll help you with the words. But I think you were open to that. And because of that, look what a gift your education has been to you.But it was only because you were open to it. It's not a gift to everybody.
Greene: Yeah, I being open to being wrong, learning things that you feel like you know nothing about or you really don't know anything about.
Groeber: Or don't even maybe think you want to know about, right? I mean ...
Greene: Yeah, it's that, especially those moments. Yeah, it's made a huge difference for me. And I've been … you know, you talked about working with people living with HIV. I feel so honored when I'm talking to a client or to a participant and they are sharing with me their full self, what is on their heart, their experiences. That is what is a huge driver for me to keep doing this work.
Groeber: And like I said to you, for you, it's like it is for me having that learner in the classroom, to have somebody who shares that with you, and I mean, that's the universe, and see, that's the common humanity that we share, right? That I can get behind that all day, is you being honest and you being who you are, and doing that. I mean, for me, that's the really, and I think it goes to the importance of connection and feeling connected and people feeling connected to you and you feeling connected to them. And so, I mean, it's so funny because for you ... you've been like, as a faculty member, you've been kind of a constant in our lives, you know, for at least the past seven years. I don't know what, when you finally defend your dissertation and graduate, I don't know what we're going to do. We're going to have to put you on staff or something. But, and to watch that growth has been like, what, what you go into it for, right? And to, to, it's an honor, it's an honor for me as a faculty member to walk a bit of everybody's journey with them. But there are some journeys that you just get to continue watching and yours is one of those, and so I did want to take some time to highlight it, you know, with a little remarkable podcast because you embody that remarkability. If you had one bit of advice, I don't want to minimize it by saying advice, but ... words of wisdom for people that are kind of following behind you. What would you say? What would be your parting shot?
Greene: One bit of advice would be, kind of what you had just said, being open, not limiting yourself with what you think you might be able to do or what you think you are pretty sure you don't want to do. I have really tried to make the greatest out of all the opportunities I've been given, and I think that was more enlightening for me, being open to the process and what that unfolded into, and sometimes that lack of direction is actually what points you to where you really need to go and who you want to be.
Groeber: Wow. Well, y'all, I know this, we got kind of esoteric, but so thought-provoking for me and thank you for spending time and thank you for your kindness and I'm honored that you think of me as a mentor. That makes me feel really, really good. It makes me feel like, it makes me feel like I surround myself with really smart people. So I'm thankful for that. Well, I want to thank you and I hope guys, if you're considering, if you're considering that bachelor's or that master's or that PhD, rReach out to us because we can connect you with Karah and Karah can speak into your life, you know, via email or a quick Teams call or whatever. That's the cool thing is wanting to be connected to one another, so I just, once again, you're remarkable and I will look forward to the fall and honoring you and calling you Dr. Greene. So, I look forward to that. Karah, thanks for being with us today.
Greene: Thank you for having me. This has been awesome. I appreciate it.