Sure, you love your dog. But does she have her own Instagram? Becca Taylor’s dog Bear does, primarily because, as Becca put it, “my friends and family got tired of me sending them pictures.”

Becca, who has been with Catholic Charities for nine years, coordinates the cash assistance program that Migration and Refugee Services operates in-house. She described her position as a combination of accounting and case management, someone who is “detail oriented but also good with clients.”

Becca is good with a lot of things, it seems. She’s a big fan of folk and Bluegrass music and plays violin for folk dancing. She used to perform with a folk dancing troupe, but now most often plays violin for the dances, averaging one or two events a month pre-COVID. The dances are English country, Appalachian traditional, and country in style.

But that’s not all. Becca loves to hike and she and Bear often take to the hills of Iroquois Park for a long walk.

But that’s not all, either. Becca is self-described as being “obsessed with fermenting things.” Fermenting? Yes, fermenting, because “I just find it fascinating that it’s something that’s ancient, a way we have preserved things forever.” And it’s simple, according to Becca. “You can take foods, stick them in water or their own juices, and let fermentation do its thing.”

Because of her obsession, Becca likes to try her hand at sauerkraut, wine, beer, and kimchi, even though she is “not very good at any of it.” She has mastered sourdough starter, however, having become an avid sourdough baker during the pandemic. “I like sourdough in particular because you can be as meticulous or as careless as you want and it still turns out well either way.”

Becca chooses the more meticulous route at work, where she enjoys “being part of the greater team that welcomes immigrants in a pivotal moment in their lives.” She said the refugee program “embodies what we think of as the American dream” and noted that most refugees “have been stuck in a position where they don’t have any agency prior to our interaction with them. When they come to the U.S., they have the opportunity to make choices and work themselves up. I think it’s important to remember that it’s a gradual story.”

Speaking of stories, you can follow Bear the shepherd-Labrador mix on Instagram at beardog_explores_the_world.