My first educational milestone was getting out of the working world and into college. It was such a process to get myself out of the professional world of emergency management and transition into a formal learner role. Right before coming to UWEC, I was working as Program Director for, at the time, the U.S’s largest domestic relief program in the U.S Virgin Islands. The work was intense, rewarding, and filled with passion. I found that I thrived in this work environment. The pay was livable, so why was I leaving? After months of contemplation, meditation, and research, I decided that it was time to make a decision that was solely for myself. Continuing my education was the only real step towards my future, I just didn’t know it at this time.
It was not until my second year in college when I was able to fully reflect on the importance of this decision. One of my social work courses was focusing on different theories about perspective at the time, and allowed me to see that I taking that step was actually the first time I independently made a decision that played towards my life goals and professional ambitions. The impact of my lived experiences on my interactions was profound, and putting that together with tools from this same social work class allowed me to better manage my bias in the future.
My second educational milestone was not only deciding my major of social work, but actually getting into the social work program itself. It took me a significant amount of internal debate to figure out what I should be devoting my time and energy to. After taking SW100 , I was fairly certain I was right where I was supposed to be. The next few classes that followed further cemented this idea. It was amazing for me to see the things I was passionate about in relation to human rights, managing biases, advocating for social welfare of all, learning about minorities and other individuals with cultural humility and being a voice for the silenced, as actual coursework and content. Even though I have had to privilege to live and work across many different cultures, ecosystems, countries, and regions, this formal knowledge relevant to the things I cared about was so refreshing.
In looking back in the application process, I recall my instructors telling me not to be nervous. I was diligently watching “The Social Work Digest” for deadlines and information about application to program. If I recall correctly, it was some short answer essays. I spent so long making sure they looked good, and properly showed my passion and dedication to the social work profession. My experiences in those first few semesters with the Social Work program at UWEC stand out so well as supporting my decision to go into the social work field and to work in social change throughout my career. Getting into the program itself was actually a fairly easy process, and the news that I was admitted made me jump with joy. This was the next step on my educational journey, and I felt confident that this was the right place for me to finish my undergraduate degree.
My final educational milestone was getting my internship at NASW-MN. Internship, internship, internship has been racing in the back of my mind for the last few semesters and as we began having training already a year ago in preparation for internship. After speaking with some instructors about macro internships, NASW WI and MN stood out as internships that aligned with what I wanted to get out of an undergraduate social work internship. Macro level policy work, and something especially challenging was really what I was looking for (and boy, did I get it!).
On the first day to call our potential internship sites, I eagerly reached out to the National Association of Social Workers-Wisconsin chapter. Upon being told I would need to report in-person, I let them know that was not an option. They recommended that I reach out to NASW-Minnesota. After setting up a meeting with the director of NASW-MN, I was nervous because the first thing she said was that the chapter tends to lean towards masters and PhD level internships. After our interview, she happily offered me an internship position! During my social work policy course at UWEC, I knew I found the niche where I wanted to really work. What stands out to me most is the confidence I gained in reaching out to and working with legislators. I had done that on my own in the past, but never with confidence. The coursework that spoke to navigating legal systems was especially useful, and I saw both interest and growth during this semester.
In reflecting on my past areas of growth, I see vast improvement both relevant to these milestones and beyond. In regard to critically reflecting on my decision to both come to UWEC and apply for acceptance in the Social Work program, it could not be more relevant for my life goals and ambitions. I have been challenged repeatedly to work through my own personal bias to in turn help me work as a better social worker. I did not fully understand the importance of this at the time, but in looking back, I can see how these decisions impact me moving forward, both personally and in my practice.
The ability to learn approaches to working within social work practice and specific populations has been especially useful for me. I have taken most of the theories we have been taught, such as the systems theory, Person-In-Environment approaches, etc.. and worked to apply them to my own life so I can use the tools in my practice moving forward. An advanced understanding of these concepts will support me professionally moving forward into the fieldwork.
My educational journey has been filled with emotion, revelation, challenged beliefs, newly introduced theories and approaches to practice, and at times, tears. This journey at UWEC has inspired me to actively seek out continuing development and be engaged in areas I otherwise would not be. For example, I now subscribe to several daily news and policy briefings regarding social work, as well as have the ability to join trainings led or sponsored by NASW-MN. I now have an understanding of how many resources and trainings exists for social workers post-graduation. A few that interest me are cultural trainings relevant to working with Native Americans and other tribal populations, gender and sexuality research advancement trainings, professional development trainings, and fundraising trainings. I also, as a result of my social wok education, seek out Ted talks and other academic platforms for gaining further perspective into social work practice. One final professional goal I have is to join the Peace Corps following my MSW.