Personal Journey & Barry Experience
1. Can you tell us a little about yourself and what led you to pursue social work?
I have worked in the psych/mental health field for a few years as a behavior therapist before deciding to pursue social work. As I began working with a community based organization serving the community at large, I recognized the benefit of having the knowledge and understanding of a social worker.
2. Why did you choose Barry University’s School of Social Work for your education?
I chose Barry University because of their trauma informed curriculum. I felt it gravitated more towards my current experiences in the field to better empathize with various communities and populations as the human experience is what binds us all together.
3. What were some of your most meaningful experiences while at Barry?
Many of the most meaningful experiences at Barry were connecting with professors and students with the same passion. Being able to share experiences and learn new perspectives were valuable in growth.
4. How did Barry’s commitment to community service and social justice shape your education and career?
This commitment allowed me to continue fighting and advocating for those that often “fall through the cracks”. Recognizing, although there are systems in place to support, they often are not as successful due to the policy that requires revision. Thus, sparking my interest in policy change on a macro level.
Peacock Foundation Scholarship
5. What did receiving the Peacock Foundation scholarship mean to you?
Personally, it meant the opportunity to pursue my education with some financial assistance and recognition from a community organization that values social workers.
6. How did the scholarship support or influence your academic journey or personal growth?
It gave me hope, being granted the scholarship let me recognize the value of the path I chose to pursue. Reassuring my decision to become a social worker.
7. What message would you share with donors like the Peacock Foundation about the impact of their support?
I am eternally grateful and thankful for the support. I encourage the Peacock Foundation to continue supporting others like me that are passionate about pursuing their goals.
Professional Path
8. Where has your career taken you since graduating from Barry?
I have been able to continue growing the community based agency, Evolving Lives, Inc, that originally led me to pursue social work. In doing so we have been successful in affecting meaningful change in the lives of many individuals in the community.
9. How do you incorporate Barry’s values of service, diversity, and compassion into your current work?
Not everyone is at the same place, at the same time. Barry’s values have instilled into me the perspective understanding that being a social worker means to be of service to the best of our capacity. Even though we might wish to do more, we respect the process of growth. Since I work with a broad sense of community, I can cultivate compassion for those that often feel marginalized.
10. What advice would you give to current social work students who are just starting their journey?
Understanding that most of us chose this path to be of service for our fellow community members, no matter who they are or where they come from. However, at the end of the day, the work we do must be applied to ourselves. Neglecting the self in pursuit to being of service may burn us out and create internal strife that does not allow us to show up in wholeness.
Reflection and Inspiration
11. Looking back, what are you most proud of from your time at Barry and in your career so far?
I am proud and grateful for Barry’s commitment to social workers, reassuring my choice in this path. Doing so has provided me with much skill and knowledge to be applied in growing my career and affecting change both small and large.
12. How do you stay connected to Barry University and the School of Social Work community?
I continue communications with the cohort I graduated with and professors I feel made an impactful change in my perspective for growth. Also, I help supervise undergraduate and graduate level students from the MSW program through Evolving Lives, Inc. Effectively providing a unique perspective for those completing their program to learn how change can be made in many ways.
13. What’s next for you in your professional or personal journey?
Professionally, I desire to continue growing Evolving Lives, Inc to become an organization that demonstrates the change we believe through our mission. Not in words but in action, affecting the change in the micro despite the challenges faced. In time, I hope to elevate this change to the macro of policy changes as I recognize many obstacles hindering us and other agencies due to bureaucratic ideals that often do not serve communities at large.