Undergraduate students looking to turn their passion for community service into a career received words of wisdom from alumni and professors at the School of Social Policy and Practice.
SP2 hosted its first panel Thursday evening for students interested in graduate work in social work and social policy. The panel, “Bridging The Gap: From Community Service to Rewarding Career” introduced academic options available within SP2 and provided information on the graduate admissions process.
“I would like students to see that they can choose a career where they can make a difference and have an impact within social policy and the nonprofit world,” said Mary Mazzola, SP2 associate dean for enrollment management. “As I look at the mounting social problems today, I believe that students can really learn how to address these social problems from many different viewpoints.”
SP2 Dean Richard Gelles, who moderated the panel, hoped that the panel would benefit students who are passionate about community outreach.
“When we talk to students, they’re not clear about how they translate their high school and college community service activities into a career,” Gelles said. “With that in mind, we thought we’d test the waters and see if students would want guidance from people who have made the jump from community service to pursuing a career.”
At the panel, Gelles and Mazzola were joined by 2002 SP2 graduate Marie Martinez, who now works in the United States Department of Homeland Security and 1997 SP2 graduate Lynell Crawford, director of outreach, admissions and student services at Year Up Inc. in Baltimore.
When asked why he decided to pursue a career in social work, Crawford said, “When I look at the world and all the world’s problems, the problems seem so big, but I’m playing my role to make those problems smaller and smaller.”
Social work is “about creating lasting, systematic change,” said Martinez, who manages child exploitation and human trafficking victim initiatives. “My social work background and my skills enable me to infuse a national organization with a sense of responsibility for our clients.”
Robin Mekonnen, an SP2 doctoral candidate, also emphasized that a social work education can lead to a diverse array of career opportunities.
“People with social work degrees have really dispersed themselves among not only the front lines, but also among sophisticated professionals who have a very significant impact on how society treats social issues,” said Mekonnen, who earned her masters in social work from SP2,
Mekonnen said SP2 masters program students work in a field placement three days a week during their two years of study. Mekonnen had the opportunity to work at a child welfare agency and at a homeless shelter and recalled that her experiences were challenging and engaging.
“I had two very different field placements,” she said. “I had some terrific mentors, and Penn makes you diversify your field placement from your [ideal] work position.”
SP2 doctoral student Charlene McGrew worked in the field with congregations and faith-based organizations as part of her masters work. “I love that research at SP2 is applied, and it doesn’t just take place within the walls of the university,” she said. “It really gets you out in the field interacting with people in the community.”
Undergraduate students at Thursday’s panel got a small taste of the experiences that SP2 has to offer.
“Social work isn’t something I considered before this, and now I consider it an option,” said Wharton and College junior Lauren Diaz, who added that she hopes to pursue a career in the nonprofit sector after graduation.
“It’s definitely interesting to see how social work has manifested in the lives [of the panelists],” College sophomore Nony Onyeador said. “I’m interested to see where life takes me.”
As the panel came to a close, Mazzola presented the audience with a final thought. She explained her goal as a social worker was to “help others help themselves.”
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