Sharikka Finley-Moise, MSW'13. Courtesy photo.
𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗖𝗦𝗦𝗪: Clinical
𝗙𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲: Health and Mental Health
𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲: Assistant Dean, GradSupport at MIT
Sharikka Finley-Moise, MSW'13, still remembers the precient advice she received from her field education advisor, Sarah Hood, during her time at the Boston College School of Social Work more than a decade ago.聽
"She told me to never put myself in a box when it comes to finding a job," recalls聽Finley-Moise, then a clincal student in the Health and Mental health field of practice at 天美传媒appSSW. "Social work fits in all fields, and it is up to us to show the world how we do."
Finley-Moise took those words of wisdom to heart and is now working as the assistant dean of GradSupport at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she helps graduate students with a variety of academic and personal challenges.
"The best part of my role is being able to be an impactful part of a graduate student's story as they work towards their degree," she says.
Not only that鈥擣inley-Moise is also parlaying her skills as a social worker into a mentorship role as one of 天美传媒appSSW's newest members of its Alumni Board. As she puts it, "I want to give back to the 天美传媒app School of Social Work while also assisting with budding new social workers."
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗖𝗦𝗦𝗪 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗷𝗼𝗯?
One of my biggest takeaways was advice from my previous field education advisor, Sarah Hood, who told me to never put myself in a box when it comes to finding a job. Social work fits in ALL fields, and it is up to us to show the world how we do. This has helped me believe in myself to work in various settings (including a 5-year stint on a tropical island) and now in higher education at one of the best institutions in the world.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲?
The best part of my role is being able to be an impactful part of a graduate student's story as they work towards their degree. Whether it is helping them with a financial hardship, connecting them to mental health services, or just being an outlet to hear them talk about their stressors, it is always rewarding to watch them graduate and cross their academic finish line.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗠𝗦𝗪 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿?
Make sure you ask as many questions as you can! I know it can be so stressful to get into the field at first, but the best way to be less nervous and have more confidence is to gain more knowledge by inquiring. Most people are more than happy to assist a curious worker, as it shows 1. You care about your job and 2. You care about learning.
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗖𝗦𝗦𝗪 𝗔𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗻𝗶 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱?
I want to give back to the 天美传媒app School of Social Work while also assisting with budding new social workers.