Miriam Haven (Salome)

My mother, younger sister, and I flew from Ponce, Puerto Rico, to New York in 1949 to live with my great-grandmother, who lived off Amsterdam Avenue near CCNY. My father joined us from Atlanta, where he had spent a year at Morehouse College. He continued his education at night at CCNY while working a day job to support his family. My elementary school was near the campus, and I was most impressed with the gothic-looking buildings. My father's experience with the college and its affordability made college possible for me. We lived in the Bronx by the time I was ready for college, so train travel to campus became an everyday reality. I was so young and eager to learn. I gravitated to sociology and psychology and focused on that. My parents preached that I needed to make a living, so needed to get a degree that would allow that. Because working with people seemed to be the way, I chose a placement at Lincoln Hospital in the children's ward. I wrote my weekly observations based on my experience in the wards with the children and parents that were around. These were read by my CCNY supervisor. He was present, attentive, kind, and most helpful. I reported to him weekly on my observations of the children, my work with the children, and my work with whatever parents were around. I think he must've had a sense that I had an ability to engage with and establish working relationships with people. He taught me things, guided me, and supervised some of my work. He helped me choose a graduate school to pursue a master's in social work. CCNY was where I learned to grow into my own personality and I found myself. It was a really good place to be free, to explore my inner strengths, and to have dreams. It really grounded me. It made me an American. City College was my beginning. I spent 16 years in the mental health field as a child and family therapist and an assistant professor at a school of social work in Boston.