Benjamin Gifford

My name is Benjamin Gifford and I am a resident of Haywood County, North Carolina. I am currently looking for a career in which I can help people and have a positive impact on the community in which I live. I have 6 years of experience in the social services field, specifically in mental health, and have worked hard during that time and earned my Qualified Mental Health Professional status. Now, I am ready to experience a new area of social services or a similar field. I am most interested in interpreting and other careers working with the Latin communities and helping them to connect with the services they need. I am fluent in Spanish and lived for two years in Costa Rica, where I taught English to the community there. My time in Costa Rica was very rewarding because not only did I get to work with the local community but I also had the opportunity to improve my own Spanish language skills and I was able to immerse myself in the culture there. I hope to again work more closely with the Latin population in this area, and I plan to be someone who can help to bridge the language and cultural gap some feel when re-locating to the United States. Working with the Latin population is not my only interest and I'm open to the idea of working in any position that utilizes my skills and that I feel I would enjoy.

In my free time I enjoy creative writing and have self published a few books. In addition to my stories, I have kept a journal for many years and find the free writing to be very therapeutic. I also enjoy the outdoors and walking and hiking with my dogs. I enjoy travelling when I can, and have been to several US states as well as countries in Europe, Central, and South America.