TaKarra Wilson takes after her dad, Reggie. They're both tough and they both have big hearts. That might be why they're both good at being residential counselors.

    Reggie worked for Highfields for 13 years. He was a residential counselor, a team leader, a substitute teacher and worked with the Youth Attention Program at the Onondaga Campus. He worked alongside his two brothers, Ronnie and Rodney.

    "Our mom was always taking in kids from the community when I was young, so it just comes naturally to me and my brothers," Reggie said, explaining why he and his brothers were drawn to helping kids. "My friends and other kids in the neighborhood called my mom, 'mom.' Our door was always open to anyone. It's just how we were raised."

    When Reggie, Ronnie and Rodney worked at Highfields, TaKarra and her cousins frequently visited the residential campus and even made friends with some of the boys they worked with.

    "They always seemed to have fun, my dad and my uncles, because they genuinely enjoyed their jobs," TaKarra recalls.

    Ronnie agrees that their mother was a big influence on his and his brothers' career path. He also sees that caring for others is a Wilson family trait.

    "It's a bonding thing for us and I think TaKarra really likes that," he said. "She likes building relationships with the kids."

    Just as TaKarra could see that her dad and uncles loved their jobs, Reggie and his brothers could see that she had the right qualities to excel as a residential counselor.

    "I knew she would be great at that," Reggie said. "She's always been a nurturer."

    TaKarra knows she has a lot of personality traits in common with her dad and uncles. They are all caring and honest. They all have the ability to recognize that people make mistakes.

    "We're not perfect," she admits. "That makes it easier to do the job, because we get it."

    Reggie agrees that this helps them do their job. They teach the residents lessons and skills to develop better communication and independent living skills. Reggie says he was able to apply the lessons and skills to his own life, making him a better communicator.

    "I learned a lot about myself in that job," he said. "I learned how to deal with problems I might not have dealt with before."

    Reggie said being able to build impactful relationships with the kids is essential. He told the story of one boy he worked with at Highfields. When the boy got into trouble, his parents weren't there for him. But Reggie was. Reggie encouraged him to go to Lansing Community College. From there, the boy went to Arizona State University. He now has a family and a good life in Arizona.

    "I knew if I didn't turn my back on him, he would be OK," explained Reggie. "He just needed someone to believe in him."

    Rodney and Ronnie also had times they gave emotional support to kids who needed it.

    "That's why you get into that line of work," Rodney explained. "You like to see the kids' progress. You like to see them achieve their goals."

    Takarra knows the importance making strong connections with the residents - in fact, it's what she enjoys most. But she also knows that it's equally important to build relationships with her coworkers.

    "You build relationships with the people you work with," she said. "It's almost like extended family."