Graduation Celebration!
I graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with my Bachelors of Social Work degree in May of 2020. I earned my degree in one full year and am able to bring my education into my daily life all of the time. The biggest thing I learned is that I need to keep learning. I don’t have all the answers or knowledge about society, diversity, and inclusivity but, I do my best with the new knowledge I gain. Social Work plays crucial roles in our systems at the micro level (clinical or individual), mezzo level (small groups and institutions), and macro level (large groups and institutions). Growing up I imagined social workers as only people who work in foster care but, was gladly shown the other areas they are needed. Some jobs you might not have thought about could be positions in forensic and criminal justice, the military, pediatric clinical care, gerontology/hospice care, school positions, research, government positions at the local, state, or national level, and clinical and/or private practice positions.
I am personally interested in earning my Licensed Clinical Social Worker License. To do this I have to first earn my Master’s degree. Which is what’s happening right now! I was accepted into Virginia Commonwealth University’s Advanced Stand Program for the Master’s in Clinical Social Work degree (ASP MSW). That means I complete my degree in just three semesters! I started 10 days after graduation with my BSW and will graduate (again) in May 2021!
I knew this was my passion for my love of helping others. My specific interest population is working with adolescents and mental health. I personally saw a serious lack of resources, knowledge, and acceptance for mental health in my own life growing up in my rural town. I personally feel that the time between middle school and high school ages is crucial in understanding who we are. If we do not understand how to take care of our mental health we ultimately will be hindering our growth and spend more time trying to heal from open wounds than time on enjoying life. I am not sure who said this, but I once heard “Adulthood is just recovering from your childhood” which is honestly true for a lot of people. That is why this population interests me. Providing the resources upfront is important.
I have also worked with those experiencing homelessness in the Richmond, Virginia area while earning my BSW. This population is an especially oppressed population with the lack of resources, lack of understanding by society, and so many other barriers that come into play when one is experiencing homelessness. Though this population is very different from my population of interest, I learned an incredible amount while doing this work and it has helped me build my personal understanding of a huge population and the systems affected by it.
During my Master’s degree I am currently working in a medical setting using integrated behavioral health frameworks and styles to provide help to patients. I have only nearly started at this new experience and already know it will be just as enriching an experience as the first. I cannot wait to continue my education, gain more experience, and eventually earn my LCSW and onto a PhD. Manifesting those goals never felt so great!
