In the last year new projects and challenges have entered my world. Perhaps a clearer way to express this is to acknowledge that I have opened my heart to new ways of sharing my energy and talents.
Raeanne (my fabulous web designer and creative muse) suggested that I expand the Resources section of my site to include some updates; we decided to add the word “News” to this tab. Her prompt provided an opportunity for me to run an internal highlights reel of the last year.
I retired in 2023 from my full-time role as a counselor in The MacDonnell Career & Internship Center (TMCIC) at Siena University. Since then I have dubbed this time in my life as “fake retirement.” In 2024 I opened SuzanneO Services, LLC. Since you are on my site, you know all about this. In 2025 I began teaching a career preparation course at Siena. This spring, I have been invited to work part-time at TMCIC, resuming my role as a career counselor. I can relate to the words spoken by Al Pacino (as Michael Corleone) in Godfather III: “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!”
2026 has brought two major initiatives:
1) My First Book
I finished my first book! It is a memoir about growing up with my sister Nancy called “I Don’t Want to Be Mean or Anything.” This story has been living inside me for a very long time and I am delighted to bring it to you. The book will be available in early April with a BIG PARTY on April 11th to celebrate the launch. Get the details here! Writing this book has been a love letter to Nancy—an expression of gratitude, admiration, and the quiet ways she has shaped my life. Through these pages, I’ve tried to honor the moments we shared, the lessons she offered, and the spirit she brought into the world. I hope you will read it, because you will learn from Nancy about living without “being mean or anything.”
2) Uganda
Often, an idea begins as a small glimmer deep within our hearts or minds. For me, that glimmer appeared only briefly at first—an occasional thought or passing glimpse of Africa. I never imagined that it would grow into something so meaningful. What began as a simple connection has grown into a deep passion for the people of a community in Uganda.
This passion emerged through my connection to a dear seminary friend, Kathy Johnson. Seven years ago she told me about her work in Uganda. I recall thinking “That is amazing; I would never do that.” Well, I am now doing ‘that’. Through the miracle of zoom, I have befriended Joan Kasone who lives in Uganda and is the founder of the Hope Empowerment Foundation Organization (HEFO.) This non-profit organization is in Muguluka Village in eastern Jinja.
In March 2026, I was scheduled to travel to Muguluka with a small team. Our plan was to assist with several projects, including mobile clinics, the operations of a local school, and treatment efforts during a major malaria outbreak.
Yet circumstances unfolding thousands of miles away would soon bring those plans to an unexpected halt. We are all terribly disappointed – including the people we were planning to visit. Lots of tears were shed
BUT hope remains that we will be traveling there in the Fall.
So hold on tight. There will be more to come of my adventures!
