Award winner Gabby White discusses finding role, purpose in social work
Award winner Gabby White discusses finding role, purpose in social work
When it comes to education and choosing a career path, the road looks different for everyone. Some people already know what they want to do and set out to achieve it, while others are not so sure. Both journeys are unique and valid ways to approach deciding how to live your life. For our 2023 MSW Outstanding Student Gabby White, it was the latter.
“When I first started undergrad, I had no clue what I wanted to do. I liked history and math but didn’t want to be a teacher. After taking calculus my freshman year, I realized that math was not the path I would follow, but I still didn’t know what I could do with history,” White said. “On a whim, I asked my advisor if there were any classes about counseling that I could take and she pointed me to an introduction to counseling and psychotherapy class that I loved. I realized I could take all that I learned about the history of oppressed peoples and do something about it which is what led me to social work…a field where I could enact change on both the individual and systemic levels.”
White grew up in Washington Township in Michigan. According to White, it was “a small midwestern town her family moved to when she was in second grade.” Her family once again moved when she was in 10th grade to Houston, Texas.
“I attended the University of Texas at Austin for undergrad where I had a major in history and a minor in educational psychology,” White said.
Eventually, White decided to attend the Garland School of Social Work to pursue an MSW specializing in clinical practice and focusing on Integrated Behavioral Health. When asked what she was most proud of, she said it was being the first person in her family to earn a master’s degree and that it was because of the hard work of her parents that she was able to receive it. She also spoke about her passion within social work.
I realized I could take all that I learned about the history of oppressed peoples and do something about it which is what led me to social work…a field where I could enact change on both the individual and systemic levels.
“I am very passionate about Black maternal Health, both physical and mental. There are many disparities when looking at the health outcomes and maternal morbidity rates across races,” White said. “I’ve had a professional connection to this issue for the past three years and also have a personal connection as women close to me have had to navigate through an inequitable system that perpetuates such disparities.”
White interned at Prosper Waco in 2022 working with the workforce initiatives team and the health team to help with a workforce training program that provided free classes through McLennan Community College and Texas State Technical College to “better prepare individuals for the industries they were working in.”
“I also co-facilitated the Access to Healthcare working group which was comprised of representatives from organizations in the community that addressed various social determinants of health. We worked to plan health fairs with food drives and health screenings,” White said.
During her advanced year, White interned with Waco Family Medicine. She provided case management services for those with Medicare and two or more chronic illnesses, children with behavioral needs, as well as complex OB patients needing additional support.
“I also worked in the clinic with patients to provide brief interventions for mental and behavioral health, and worked to create and facilitate baby wearing classes where teaching mothers in the community how to safely wear their babies to promote bonding.”
Those who have worked closely with White had this to say about her: “Gabby demonstrated outstanding critical thinking, work, skill and insight in all the activities in which I observed her. I had her in internship and in clinical theories class. In both settings, she brought her A+ game to every discussion, assignment, and opportunity. Not only did she demonstrate a high skill level and outstanding smarts, but she also lent magnificent energy to creating a cohort of care amongst her peers and in her classes. All work that she turned in to me was in the top 5% compared to her peers. She also demonstrated critical thinking in the ways she would weave together her understanding of macro realities of oppression with the limits and benefits of clinical social work. She gave critical feedback when needed. Gabby demonstrated the behaviors of a student that makes me maintain hope about the future of the profession.”
When asked what kind of advice she wanted to leave for students pursuing a degree in social work, White said they should “do it scared!”
“So many times, we can doubt ourselves and our abilities and wonder if we are capable of doing everything we are asked to do,” she said. “The fear of this can stop us from even trying. I would say, don’t wait until those feelings disappear because in some way they never will completely leave. Instead, do it scared. You will surprise yourself with everything you can do and all that you know.”
Congratulations, Gabby! You represent the school and your chosen profession so well! We know you will continue to do exceptional work. Sic, ‘em!
For more information about how you might earn your degree in social work and learn how to help and empower people, click here to check out what we have to offer, or email SWO@baylor.edu.