{"id":78794,"date":"2026-02-11T15:13:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T19:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/?p=78794"},"modified":"2026-05-04T19:10:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T23:10:28","slug":"student-spotlight-discovering-social-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/student-spotlight-discovering-social-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Spotlight: Discovering Social Work"},"content":{"rendered":"

Get to know MSW student MaTaeya\u00a0M.\u00a0(SSW \u201929)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Inspired by her mother and longstanding interests in psychology, sociology, and criminal justice, MaTaeya M. shares her journey to pursue social work, with the eventual aim of working in direct client care as a therapist. MaTaeya details the student experience at <\/span>Boston University\u2019s School of Social Work<\/span><\/a> (BUSSW) and describes how the frequent discussion of current controversial topics leads her to evaluate societal systems from new and differing perspectives. <\/span><\/p>\n

MaTaeya also offers valuable advice on the importance of interfacing with social workers as one explores their MSW studies, allowing them to gain clarity on the field\u2019s disparate aspects.\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Could you describe your\u00a0background\u00a0to\u00a0me? What are your interests outside of work and school?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I’m from Hartford, Connecticut. I went straight into my MSW, I did my undergrad at UPenn in sociology, and then it brought me to here. Outside of being a student, I was in an a cappella group, so I sang a lot. I also do makeup. I have thousands of dollars\u2019 worth of makeup, and I used to do it on others, but I don’t do so much of that anymore because I’ve been busy. I also really love playing video games. I have four consoles, so I spend a lot of my time playing different forms of video games.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why\u00a0do\u00a0social work?\u00a0What\u00a0drew you to the field, and how did you become interested?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I originally thought of doing psychology\u00a0in\u00a0undergrad\u00a0because\u00a0I’ve\u00a0always been interested in mental health and behavioral health. I love picking people’s brains and having conversations\u00a0regarding\u00a0that. But then,\u00a0when I did\u00a0undergrad, I came to think that psychology is a little too\u00a0\u201cscience-y”\u00a0for me;\u00a0I\u00a0don’t\u00a0know if I really enjoyed that aspect.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, I thought about studying law because I like the criminal justice system and I was interested in the behavioral aspects of that.\u00a0I realized that I liked the behavioral aspects, but I\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0think that I was interested in using the law within the criminal justice system.\u00a0And so, my mom, who is\u00a0a\u00a0social worker, asked me if I had ever thought about pursuing social work.\u00a0And so, I decided to transition from psychology to sociology, because sociology focused on the mental and behavioral aspects without the pronounced focus on science, which I enjoyed. Through that, I figured out that my values and what I was interested in aligned more with social work. I also found out that you can become a therapist through studying social work, which was one of my main career goals. So, I thought, \u201cOh, well, this would be perfect!\u201d\u00a0I ended up finding my way into social work, and I just really enjoyed the aspect of being able to help people with finding resources or advocating for people, especially within vulnerable populations.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I feel like I can make more of that human impact through social work rather than law, so that’s\u00a0kind of how\u00a0I stumbled upon this path.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tell us about your\u00a0experience\u00a0in the MSW\u00a0program\u00a0so far.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s definitely a lot different than undergrad, in the sense that everyone here is from different walks of life.\u00a0They have different experiences, so you\u00a0definitely learn\u00a0a lot about what people are\u00a0like\u00a0through what\u00a0they’ve\u00a0done and their experiences.\u00a0And I think\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0nice because in sociology, a lot of things are theory-based, so to hear people’s actual stories and how everyone else is doing in their field placements has been\u00a0really good\u00a0and\u00a0very fun.\u00a0I’ve\u00a0loved my classes and my teachers so far, and everyone is\u00a0very passionate\u00a0about what they do.\u00a0I love the\u00a0way\u00a0professors dive into their curriculum and express their teaching style. A lot of classes are discussion-based, which I love.\u202f\u00a0It’s\u00a0nice to be able to build rapport with people within the classroom;\u00a0it’s\u00a0just been a really\u00a0good experience.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What about the program has been surprising and unexpected?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What has been surprising and unexpected, but in a very good way, is the number of uncomfortable conversations or topics that we talk about. I think those conversations are very necessary, which I think people like to skate around a lot of times. But within the classes, we regularly have conversations about how systems negatively impact people. For instance, in my social welfare class, we talk about the ways that different systems impact vulnerable populations. Sometimes I leave feeling disheartened. It’s real, and these are the things that you have to come face-to-face with. I currently work in my internship with older adults, and so I’m seeing a lot of the impacts of social security and Medicare changes. So having those uncomfortable conversations really prepares me. Especially in my racial justice course, we acknowledge the ways that race plays into everyday life during those conversations. I thought we were going to do more writing assignments while lecturing, but the discussion piece is really unexpected. But I love it; it\u2019s a good part of the program.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What makes social work worthwhile to you?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What makes it worthwhile to me is that I feel like social work not only helps you become better at helping people, but I think it overall helps you be a better person. It allows you to look at situations from different angles and really tap into what people might be facing. I always find it interesting how even the counseling that I do genuinely feels collaborative, where both my client and I are coming to a new understanding. Which I think is very different than any other profession that I’ve ever considered. Overall, social work genuinely is activism, in the sense that you are standing up for people and providing agency to others. You just look at things from a different perspective, and it pushes you to grow as a person.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u00a0are\u00a0your favorite courses,\u00a0professors,\u00a0and events at BUSSW?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I have two favorite courses actually: my racial justice and oppression course, taught by Dawn Belkin-Martinez, and my social welfare policy class taught by Vincent Fusaro.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I’m\u00a0taking\u00a0the affinity section for racial justice, so\u00a0it’s\u00a0mainly people\u00a0of color within the course, and it is my favorite class by far. The readings are very digestible, and I like how\u00a0current the content is.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We have a lot of discussions about different aspects and components in smaller groups, and I love the topics we’re talking about. Even this week, we were talking about the ways that cartoons and media showcase racism, which I thought was cool to investigate, because a lot of these things you don’t even think about. Even reflecting on how we might not even realize that media impacts us, or even the propaganda within media.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My social welfare policy class I appreciate the most because of the population I’m working with, and because I’m encountering social welfare programs and their impacts. So, learning about what they even are, what does Medicare mean and so on has been good.\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What are you most looking forward to in the program and what \ufb01elds\u00a0interest\u00a0you?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u00a0definitely want\u00a0to\u00a0look into\u00a0learning more about how direct counseling works, what that looks like, and\u00a0different ways\u00a0of approaching treatment.\u00a0I want to have a course where we can do role playing, I’m definitely interested in that.\u00a0I’m\u00a0also looking forward to learning the DSM, even though that causes some people\u00a0stress.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I’m also looking forward to my next field placement, because I want to choose something that is where I think I want to go with social work, which currently is either the forensic side or the medical side. I’ve been thinking [about] which side I should do for my advanced placement and how that will impact where I decide to go post-grad. Forensic social work is social work within the criminal justice system, so either in courtrooms, prisons, or police stations. I worked at the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office in my senior year of undergrad as an intern. I met a lot of different social workers within that criminal justice scene and figured out what they do. I think it’ll scratch my itch to study law, but in the way that I think is the most beneficial, like providing resources or rehabilitation. I just don’t want to be in charge of sending someone to prison.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is your dream job in the \ufb01eld of social work?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My dream job is to be a therapist; that’s my end goal. Everything along the journey I hope will lead me to that. It sounds in my mind so far-fetched and crazy to me, like what do you mean I can be someone’s therapist? Because I guess when you think of social work, you mainly think of social workers who are guiding people to resources, providing connections, and things of that nature, but not much of the direct counseling. I didn’t even know that you could become a therapist from studying social work. It’s hard to imagine, but that’s why I want to use my experiences that I have so that when I get to that stage, I do feel confident. Which is why I’m hoping next year I can take courses that [will] aid me a little bit in that direction. I think going into therapy from a social work lens is very unique.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is your advice for other MSW students?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Talk to however many people you can, however many social workers you can. Research social work because it is so broad, and I think sometimes it can almost feel intimidating with how broad it is. I literally spent the year before I came here just talking to anybody, just asking questions, just being curious. Everybody’s going to do something different. I’ve met many different kinds of social workers, and talking with them will make you feel a little bit more confident about going into social work. I’ve watched a lot of TikToks lately of people who are going into their MSW, and their experience. So, I think it’s really cool to know that I’m not alone, especially because I feel like I was the only person in my undergraduate class talking about going into social work, so it definitely felt very lonely, and I didn’t really know who to talk to about it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My other advice is that everyone has their first time. Everyone has their first time doing a session or doing direct counseling. I was so scared personally, like I’m going to go in here, and I’m going to talk to this person, and they’re going to think that I’m insane; what am I even going to talk about? But understanding that the people that you surround yourself with, your supervisors, the people within the program, your professors, they’ve all had their first time where they felt they weren’t the best social worker yet. The whole point of being in the program is that you can be your best self, and you’re going to continue growing even outside of the program, because it’s only two years. So, I think those are my major pieces of advice that I’m actually reminding myself to take now.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Learn more about our MSW Program<\/span><\/a><\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MaTaeya M. highlights how BUSSW\u2019s discussion-based learning and engagement with complex, real-world issues have broadened her perspective, challenging her to think critically about societal systems and better preparing her for meaningful work in the field.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25047,"featured_media":78796,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8534],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78794"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25047"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78794"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81493,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78794\/revisions\/81493"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}