BSW Class of 2018
My time with the Social Welfare Action Alliance (SWAA) allowed me to explore the field of social work in a way that I believe was different from my fellow classmates. There are not many field opportunities tailored to macro level work, and with SWAA I was able to experience not only the macro level, but all levels of the social work field in one way or another. Until I was a student with them, I had never had the opportunity to learn, interact, and work with so many different people from so many backgrounds and life experiences. SWAA fostered an environment that created a passion in me to work with people, to understand communities, and to fight against the injustices that plague our society. Throughout my time with them I was able to explore who I was as a student, a professional, and a human being. The split work you do with SWAA and the House of Mercy is invaluable, and the connections I made by doing that work carried in to my first social work job out of college. I took a different path after about a year, but still to this day as I plan for the future, I remember the work that I did with SWAA and it guides my research into the next steps I want to take in life.
Working with SWAA and the House of Mercy you naturally start to pay attention to the way that society affects people. If you are in any way passionate about the community around you, and can see that despite the many positives that make it great, that there is still work to be done, then working with SWAA would be a good start to exploring that passion as a profession. You will be involved with movements that extend beyond your local environment, and you will have the chance to build a community that will always welcome you. If you are open to that opportunity I would definitely recommend working with this incredibly devoted group.