Meet the 2020 BSW Spirit of Social Work Winner: Abu Kamara

Abu Kamara excels both inside and outside the classroom and has known from his first semester of college that social work was right for him. Abu is an athlete, a humble academic and an aspiring social work rock star!

According to his classmates, Abu was the only male in his #BU20 cohort, and while this might be difficult for some, he has remained a "steadfast and humble learner throughout the years."

Abu asks the right questions, seeks to understand and always provides thoughtful insight in the classroom.

He takes a posture of humility, seeking first to understand and then to be understood.

"His contributions to class discussions are always insightful and his unique perspective from his lived experience has definitely added not only to classroom dynamics but the cohort as a whole," said one of his classmates.

His professors seem to feel the same.

"Abu has worked extremely hard to be a faithful and competent social work practitioner," one said. "I have seen him use opportunity after opportunity to knock down the many barriers that might otherwise have stood in his way at Baylor."

Abu embodies the core values of "importance of human relationships" and "dignity and worth of all people". And although he is deeply situated in his faith, he has allowed for his understanding of people and their problems to grow and change over the years, his professor added. He takes a posture of humility, seeking first to understand and then to be understood.

"I can't think of a better candidate for this award," noted his professor.