From: Houston, Texas.

Why UT Austin? I have wanted to be a Longhorn since I was a young girl and seeing my older sisters attend UT Austin. I was pleased to discover that UT had a wonderful social work program.

Why social work? Inspired by Grey’s Anatomy, when I was in high school I had plans to pursue nursing. As time went on, I realized that STEM was not my field but found that helping others was the aspect of nursing that was so attractive to me. This led to me considering the profession of social work, where you get to help others for a living!

Favorite part about the BSW program: I love how small and personal it is. Classes are small, which helps build a community within such a large campus. You get to really know your classmates and professors.

Favorite professor: Professor Natalie Beck has had the most impact on me. I took her Foundations of Social Justice course. I learned so much from her about being a social worker informed of matters of social justice.

Extracurricular activities: I am the president of the International Justice Mission Longhorn Chapter. IJM is a faith-based nonprofit that works to promote human rights and eliminate slavery across the world. The Longhorn Chapter exists to raise awareness of human trafficking on campus and support IJM in their international work. I learned about human trafficking as a junior in high school, and I quickly found a passion in working to eradicate this injustice. My experience in the anti-trafficking field includes working in a drop-in center serving survivors of trafficking and the commercial sex industry, running student organizations designed to raise awareness of the issue, and working with local nonprofits serving this population. This semester I will be an intern on the governor’s Child Sex Trafficking Team to promote awareness of the issue of human trafficking in the State of Texas.

What is next after graduation? I hope to get my master of social work with a concentration on policy. I plan to combine my passions for anti-trafficking efforts and social welfare policy.

Advice to future BSW students: Stay hydrated, it is truly a hike to the school!