Our MSW Graduates. Their Stories.
Whether they’re serving students, veterans, the elderly or the disadvantaged, graduates of our Master of Social Work program are caring for the spiritual, emotional and social needs of people throughout the world.
Though their roles may be vastly different, their mission is the same: to bring hope, help individuals discover their intrinsic value, and do their part to create more just, equitable and inclusive communities.
‘Listening is medicine’
For 2017 MSW graduate Kim Nguyen, the most powerful medicine isn’t available with a prescription or over the counter. In her world, the strongest “medication” isn’t a traditional medicine at all. Rather, it’s a simple practice: listening.
As a medical social worker at a dialysis center in Portland, Nguyen faces the dual challenge of recognizing her patients’ systemic complexities – like food scarcity and homelessness – and being present for them in their specific health crisis. What she’s discovered is the fact that what clients often need most is someone to listen.
‘I want to instill hope’
When Tina Deleon Guerrero discovered that a career in teaching wasn’t the best fit for her, she found her calling as a social worker, which allowed her to apply her empathy skills to advocate for vulnerable populations.
Now a forensic social worker at Oregon State Hospital in Salem, the 2023 MSW graduate works with those who are mentally unwell, helping them testify in court. “I’m passionate about social justice because I have personally experienced inequality, systemic racism and discrimination along with many in my community,” she says.
‘I really became a social worker at age 12’
Kenneth Hoover’s journey into social work began at a young age, when he was relied upon to help care for a father struggling with substance abuse. Today, he works at American Lake Veterans Hospital in Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, where he serves high-risk veterans with co-occurring disorders.
“Helping others accomplish their goals and face some of the biggest challenges a person can face gives me a feeling of accomplishment that is truly difficult to describe,” he says.
‘Meet people where they are at’
Inspired by the loss of her mother and the challenge of raising two children as a single mom, Cynthia Molina has found purpose working as the neighborhood program director of Boys and Girls Aid in Portland, an adoption agency committed to helping foster children find families.
“To see an individual for who they are and want to be is so important. I want to empower them to be the best version of themselves,” she says.
‘Going to the edges’
Inspired by mentors he had as a child, Chris McMullan, a 2021 alumnus of the MSW program, regularly encounters the hardships and heartache of the children he works with as a social worker in the Woodburn (Oregon) School District.
“I find that kids will share when they feel safe around you,” he says. “To create that safe space for kids to talk about these hard things – stuff that is churning inside, that is affecting their overall thought process – I’m changed because of it. It’s not just the kid who benefits.”