I Am Wilshire – Jessica Brookshire.
Hometown: Dallas (Lake Highlands High School)
College or Education: Texas Tech University
Profession: Clinical Social Worker
Present City: Dallas
Tell us about your work. I’m a clinical social worker and currently work as a middle school counselor. In previous roles I’ve had the privilege to walk alongside people who are grieving or struggling with addiction and other mental health concerns.
Favorite pastimes or hobbies? I love reading, cooking, playing with my dog, and playing board games with friends.
Favorite authors and books? My absolute favorite book is Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson. It’s a haunting coming of age story that I reread almost every year.
Favorite place to travel? I love the mountains. My family spent many summers in Colorado and I went skiing in winters with my church youth group. It’s been fun to return to Rocky Mountain National Park and explore the same trails and lakes I loved as a kid.
What are some of your strengths or defining qualities? Empathy and humor.
What brought you to Wilshire and when? In 2015, after years of friendship with people who grew up at Wilshire, I finally ended my “no more church” hiatus and came to a service during Advent with a friend. I have attended church every Sunday since unless I’ve been out of town or there was a pandemic.
Where are you engaged at Wilshire? I’m part of the Ithaka Sunday School class, New Member Committee, and Belong Team. In previous years I enjoyed being on the Missions Committee and participating in Faith in 3D. I’ve also chaperoned multiple fall and spring retreats for youth and got to go to youth camp as well a couple of summers ago.
Tell us about your faith journey. I grew up in two Dallas churches and decided I needed a break from church after graduating from high school. I had a lot to heal from and unlearn about who I thought God was and what I thought God expected from me. Coming to Wilshire after a nine-year break has helped me continue that healing and ultimately affirmed things I realized were true during my time away from a church home — we are all created in God’s image and loved as we are, and there’s nothing we can do to change those facts. Here I’ve been allowed to ask questions and have doubts, and I have grown in ways I never knew I needed.
If you’d like to be featured in “I Am Wilshire,” contact Carolyn Murray at cmurray@wilshirebc.org.