Senior Stories: Social Work

Taylor wouldn’t be Taylor without amazing students. Developing servant-leaders marked with a passion to minister Christ’s redemptive love is why we are here. Students seeking to serve through many different fields and careers are participating in this Senior Stories series to share about how God has used Taylor in their lives.

Taylor’s Social Work Program

Recognized as the number one 2019 Best Bachelor’s Social Work Degree in Indiana by SocialWorkDegree.org, Taylor’s Social Work program is robust. This nationally accredited program includes 480 hours or more of practicum experience. Trauma Informed Care principles are integrated into the curriculum so students are prepared to enter human services professions, equipped to help those who are vulnerable and hurting.

Meet a senior graduating from the Social Work program:

Why did you choose to attend Taylor and select your major?

There are many people and pastors from my home church who came to Taylor University, so the school has always been on my radar. However, it was actually in the college application process, as I read more about what the social work major was, that made Taylor my number one school. For a long time, I have felt God calling me to work with orphans and vulnerable children here in the United States. For a time I wanted a Biblical counseling degree to provide a foundation to what I would do and then just go on for a social work master’s degree. However, reading about the integration of faith and learning in the classroom and how the undergrad would teach me many of the skills I would need while also making my master’s shorter, I was sold.

What are the most important things you’ve learned through the Social Work program?

It is difficult to nail down one class in particular as they are all so integral to being able to be a competent social worker in the future. However, there are several of prominence. Diversity and the Disenfranchised partnered with several other non-major classes I took, was my first experience in being able to learn about the world from the real oppression experienced by other groups of people and how important it is for me to be aware of how my own perspectives can influence my work with my clients. Additionally, Helping Troubled Families and Working with Children gave me a lot of insight into specific tools that I will use in the field I am going into in the future and helped me to process much of what I experienced growing up.

Who has had the greatest impact on you during your time at Taylor?

Professors and peers have both impacted my time immensely. I found lifelong friends from both groups as professors have mentored and poured into me, truly caring about me and wanting to get to know me, and other students have accepted me for who I am with all of my flaws while also always challenging me to be better. My time at Taylor has not been perfect, and there have definitely been struggles along the way. However, people here do truly care so there is always someone you can reach out to.

In what ways do you feel prepared for your future because of your Taylor experience?

As the #1 BSW program in Indiana and #6 in the nation, the Taylor social work program has made me immensely prepared for the plan God has for me as I feel called to go into child welfare in foster care reform. Furthermore, Taylor has provided a holistic experience where my faith and growth as an individual has been fostered alongside my studies. I feel that I am living further into who God has made me to be.