STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS

Patrick Angelaccio is a senior in the Bachelor of Science in Social Work (BSSW) program. After graduation, he plans to come back to UT for graduate school. “Coming back to graduate school will allow me to get more certifications and get the training I need to help as many people as possible,” he said. “I will graduate with licenses to help individuals, create stronger communities, and even help write policy to stop systemic problems that have harmed people for centuries.”

Some of his favorite parts of attending UTCSW have been in both academics and in his personal growth. “My professors have expanded who I am, both as a student and as a person, in the community,” he explained. “They have helped me become more empathetic and taught me interviewing skills that I will use in my career path. Additionally, coming from out of state, I felt welcomed by this Big Orange Community. I have met people in clubs and organizations that have changed who I am and who I want to be. Even when I was volunteering in Spain people recognized the Power T and gave me a big ‘Go Vols.’

Social work is something that Angelaccio feels very strongly about. “I can wake up every day and be a volunteer,” he stated.

“I want to be on the frontline of helping people and meeting them where they are. Social workers have the great responsibility to use the community’s strengths to make sure everyone feels welcomed and can get by. Even though it is challenging to face the problems of today including poverty, addiction, injustices, mental illnesses, and loneliness, if we want to make the world better, we can’t be afraid. That’s why social work spoke to me.”

Haiden Lancaster is an MSSW student in her concentration year. She is part of the Extended Study cohort and is in her third and final year. She was instrumental in the “Rocky Top the Vote” campaign in the fall and is working tirelessly to get the word out to students about the importance of voting.

“’The Rocky Top the Vote’ project was something that I worked hard on and am very proud of,” Lancaster said. “One of my favorite parts was getting to design artwork for the initiative such as buttons, flyers, brochures, and the website. I have really loved getting to connect my creative side with my social work side.”

Lancaster is on the clinical track of her master’s program and is working to graduate with a certificate in trauma treatment. She hopes to use those skills to provide therapy in a community-facing agency. Currently, she is interning with the South Carolina Department of Mental Health, working with their community crisis response and intervention team. “The work really interests me, allows me to be involved in the local community, and aligns with my skill set so my plan is to pursue something with a similar community focus,” she explained.

In working on the Rocky Top the Vote project, Lancaster worked with several organizations to make it happen. “The College of Social Work partnered with a nonpartisan organization called vot-ER and their Health Democracy Campaign during Voting is Social Work month to promote voter registration last spring,” Lancaster explained. “Vot-ER is the result of an observation made by Dr. Alister Martin, who recognized a demographic overlap between unregistered voters and highly marginalized patient groups. They provide tools and resources for students to lead voter registration initiatives. As a result of the initiative, 265 people were aided on their civic journey - whether that was registering to vote or helping with a mail-in ballot, or checking registration status. It was amazing and I enjoyed every minute of it.”

Chenita Rountree a DSW student, represented UTCSW at the Faculty Women of Color in the Academy (FWCA) conference held at Virginia Tech in spring 2022. The conference provides a unique educational and professional opportunity for indigenous and women of color in higher education to network, engage, and learn with colleagues from around the country. Rountree joined several UTCSW faculty at the conference.

“This was my first time attending and I was impressed and excited with the great content shared over those three days,” Rountree said. “All the speakers were amazingly insightful and pioneers in their professional domains. Yet, despite the obstacles that could block their success, they did not let their gender, race, or ethnicity hinder their progress. Perseverance is the best word to describe all the speakers who graced the conference stage. My favorite part of the conference was the workshops. Each workshop offered a new opportunity to learn, make friendly contact with the person beside me, and share enlightening moments with the speaker. Everyone I interacted with during the conference was welcoming and excited to be there. I had breakfast, lunch, and dinner with someone new every day and night. The positive energy was contagious.”

Rountree notes that her professional goals after graduation change frequently. She admits the conference made her appreciate the impact of the academic setting, which would allow her to use her social work skills differently.

Chesney Ward is a PhD student at the UT College of Social Work and is interested in the field of aging and gerontology. “Social work has so many areas of work you can go into in these fields,” Ward explained. “I feel they are still an underserved community and I want to do what I can to help in that area. I have a great mentor who is allowing me to be hands on with projects and is giving me great feedback and guidance on professional development, which has been an outstanding experience.”

Ward graduated from Tulane University with her Master’s in Social Work in 2015. She has been a medical social worker in hospice care for the last seven years as well as working in psychiatric mental health treatment in both inpatient and intensive outpatient levels of care. Ward has an LCSW license in Tennessee and a LLMSW license in Michigan and is actively involved in both the Middle Tennessee NASW Chapter and the Michigan NASW Chapter.

“I really enjoy research and writing so I hope to continue doing that once I graduate,” she said. “I am hoping some of the collaborative research I do with other scholars can lead to new interventions or policies being put into place in agencies and organizations to help the aging population.”