Casey Winnecke is a non-traditional college student that originally went to school for Fine Arts out of High school. However, he found that the degree wasn’t a good fit for him and took some time away from school. After a few years, Casey attended a Human Services class at Ivy Tech and fell in love… Read more »
When Courtney Pence was two years sober, she moved from Southern Florida to Indiana, challenging herself to find a new “home” in a culture that was different than what she was accustomed to living. When Courtney struggled to fit in, her mentor suggested volunteering to give back. She started doing so at a Recovery Engagement… Read more »
Cortney Baudenistel MSW program at IU East, anticipated graduation date 2023. Courtney is a police officer’s daughter, and her aunt was also a mental health therapist so helping others runs deep in her family. One thing that Cortney enjoyed was hearing about ways that her aunt would help people. In 2007, when Cortney started working… Read more »
Giovanni Perez is a BSW Junior on the IU Bloomington campus with an anticipated graduation of May 2023 Giovanni decided to pursue a career in social work due to a very stressful experience that affected his whole family and himself. During the first semester of his freshman year at IU, Giovanni’s mother was diagnosed with… Read more »
Laura DeMougin is in the Master’s Direct Program with an anticipated graduation date of May 2022. The path that led Laura to social work began while working as a deputy in a local jail and being exposed to handling mental health issues within the context of the law. Laura worked well with those who experienced symptoms… Read more »
Taylor Cook is currently a social work senior on the IUPUI campus. Taylor is excited to be graduating in May of 2022 with her Bachelor’s degree. Taylor chose social work because she is passionate about helping others and wants to make a positive difference. Upon graduating, Taylor plans on continuing her education to receive her master’s… Read more »
My undergraduate degree is Environmental Studies, but I didn’t want to go into bioremediation or policy. Instead, I was drawn to working with people and communities. My interest in environmental justice and mental health aligns perfectly with social work’s focus on justice and equitable community resources! If I could do it all, I would like… Read more »
Kelly Griffin, a Master of Social Work student at IU South Bend, was initially inspired to pursue a career in the social work field early in her life due to family experiences. Before Kelly was born, her mother chose to leave her home in Louisiana due to the racism and hate towards marginalized groups. As a… Read more »
Kelly Griffin, a Master of Social Work student at IU South Bend, was initially inspired to pursue a career in the social work field early in her life due to the experiences of her family. Before Kelly was born, her mother chose to leave her home in Louisiana due to the racism and hate towards marginalized… Read more »
Indiana University-South Bend Master of Social Work student, Jodie Kay Gaines, always had a passion for helping people but did not find her way to the field of social work until she met her husband. Gaines’ husband is a disabled combat veteran who endured many service-connected injuries, including the effects from both Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder… Read more »
