Pamela Anita Bridgeman, LMSW

CEO, A Healing Journey Seminars, Inc., GA

“I promote a values-centered course of action that results in improved quality of life.”

When I was in 9th grade, I saw a social worker kneel beside an unmarried, pregnant teenager and encourage her. The same 15-year-old, who had wept inconsolably just moments earlier, walked away empowered. I knew then that I’d be a social worker some day. I am a mental health care and child welfare advocate because I believe that communities, and ultimately nations, are only as strong as the individuals and familities that populate them.

The best part of a great day for me is seeing someone walk away from an exchange or encounter with me feeling empowered to make a positive change in their lives, their families and other significant relationships, or their communities. One of the most rewarding moments in my social work career is when a teenager came up and hugged me and said, “Ms. Pam, I want to be like you.”

Salary: $40,000-$49,999