My name is Lauren Baklund and I serve as the Senior Member Services Director for Tacoma Center and University Y. My Y career began back in April of 2018, when I was offered the position of Health and Well-being Director at the University Y. The atmosphere of the UWT Campus and the YMCA collaboration was infectious. I could not wait to come to work every day. I quickly stepped into teaching various classes and planning events such as De-Stress Week with Therapy Dogs. I was blessed to work with Michael Marquez and Samantha Williams before she moved to another association. Then, in March 2020 we were shut down. One day, we were sitting right next to one another, the next we were all six feet apart, out in the lobby, wondering what comes next. I was hopeful, UY was just starting to hit its stride and we were in close relationship with the University of Washington. This virus could not have come at a worse time.
We tried to keep things going as long as we could, from social media to making calls to doing virtual classes. It wasn’t the same. In June 2020, my husband and I found out we were expecting our first baby. In September 2020, I made it through the furlough and was asked to transfer to Lakewood. Although I was excited to be working again, I felt that my time wasn’t done at UY. I remember coming to pick up my things and becoming very emotional because I thought that I would never work again at the place I called “Home”. I really enjoyed my time at Lakewood. I was able to work with new people, Megan Sala, Yvette Lyons, Amanda Collins, Mike Cook, TG Gorospe, Yasuko Conyer, Kory Eggenberger, and Kevin (to name a few). I learned a lot during my time there. Looking back, I needed to be at Lakewood to understand how another Y works, and working with a new team was challenging, but a huge growth opportunity. In February 2021, I chose to start my maternity leave after a premature labor scare. My daughter, Nora Elizabeth, was born in March 2021, the best thing that has ever happened to me (besides getting married). To keep a long story short, I decided not to return to the Y at the end of my maternity leave. It was a tough decision, but the best for my family at the time. I kept in contact with Michael, Sam, Zack, and Roberta. Always keeping my heart open to the possibility of returning. Then it happened. I got a call that says there is a position opening and I should apply. That leads me to today. I am back in the place that is my Y home with an added bonus, Tacoma Center! I am back in the community I love, working with some of the same people, some new. My heart is home. I will forever be grateful for all the hardships over the past two years because it truly has come full circle.
I challenge you to think about these questions: have you found your home in the Y? Have you found that one place where you feel a gravitational pull?
Find your heart. Find your Y.