Ever since I was a little girl I really
loved helping people which I know is
super cheesy. At first, I was confused
freshman I didn't know what I wanted to
do. I was undecided for my first
semester. I just really enjoyed learning
about the different social injustice. The
instructors or advisors here at Helen Bader
School of Social Welfare - they're not all
stuck up and arrogant. They notice that we
are human. 
Overall the social work program here
gives a really nice sense of community. I
was really excited to find out that
social work - didn't just mean social work - 
like there's a ton of stuff you can do
under that degree. It's like, you're
helping people, but you're not doing any of
the medical stuff. You know, you're helping them in a different way. I just really
enjoyed the work that I was doing and how
it made them feel, and how it made me
feel.
I'm currently working at Vision Forward, doing my field placement. I enjoyed the
children so very much. They are so sweet.
My BSW field placement was at
St. Martina Lutheran School on the south side. That's where I kind of
started picking up skills that I didn't
know I needed or didn't know I even had.
So I did some volunteer work for my
social work methods class at the women's
shelter. I was working with the kids but
I also got to sit in on some of the
group therapy sessions with the women. I
saw this one woman share her
experience of what had happened. And then the circle moved on,
but the woman next to her was like, you are strong you, you are independent,
you were brave ... and it just ... that's
what I want for my future. I want to
keep leading that group of women and
empowering them. I've learned more in the
last six months of my field placement
than I have my entire school career. I
mean it's been such an incredible
experience and I think this is only
something that you can do with this kind
of
program.
The Student Social Work Association
is really awesome because it's going to
provide social work students with
the opportunity to get involved activism,
learn about the NASW and provide a space for all of us to
get together and talk. It's important for
us to know what we're doing and who we're
going to be working with and what the
problems are. And you can learn that from
school and you can learn that from the
people around you, but getting into the
community and really digging into it is
the best way in.
I want to combine my major and my
minor and hopefully work with women and
children. Working in a school as a school
social worker, working with families and
children, but definitely something with
kids. I would like to pursue a job in the
CPS Department. To work for the
child protective services and for the
government. I would possibly prefer to
work in a nonprofit agency to provide
information to people that need support or direction and don't know where to go.
I really see myself working in a medical
setting after graduation - putting
everything I learned in the classroom
into practice.  I look forward to
making connections and really
experiencing my what I'm learning firsthand.
Although it's really tough and I'm tired,
I am loving my placement now, I am loving
the classes I'm taking, and I think it's really setting me up to do what I
want to do.
