This veteran’s advice for her fellow former service members considering George �鶹��Ƶ? Do it!

Taylor Thomas — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 14:06:19 +0000

This veteran’s advice for her fellow former service members considering George �鶹��Ƶ? Do it! Taylor Thomas Thu, 11/06/2025 - 09:06

The Wizard of Oz’s Dorothy Gale said it first: “There’s no place like home.” Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) student Becca Simon, a veteran of the U.S. Navy, has no doubt she’s found her home in the College of Public Health at �鶹��Ƶ.

Navy veteran and Bachelor of Social Work student Becca Simon. Photo provided.

“Coming out of the military, you leave one community, and you don't really know where to go from there, and it can feel very isolating and very lonely. To make new connections with people can be terrifying. And instead, I found a home in a community. I would venture to say that it's been life-changing,” said Simon.

Simon describes the transition from military to civilian as challenging, but with support from the Office of Military Services, says George �鶹��Ƶ’s unparalleled dedication to veterans deserves its ranking as a top university for veterans in the country.

“I don't think I spoke to anybody in [the Office of Military Services] that wasn't helpful or willing to find answers if they didn't know. They’re up to date on things with Veterans Affairs, and just being so welcoming about coming out from the military and becoming a full-time student,” she said. “New things can be scary and confusing and overwhelming, and they definitely made it easy for me to understand what was required of me, the documents that we needed, and just made the application process much smoother.”

During her time in the Navy, Simon worked as a Sexual Assault Victim Advocate, where she regularly interacted with social workers. When searching for where to get her education, she wanted an institution that aligned with her admiration for how social workers approach mental health, conflict resolution, and addressing trauma.

“Most of those people that I admired were social workers, so I started, you know, really asking myself, well, what did I want to do. What direction did I want to go in? Many of the survivor advocates were social workers, and it ignited something that made me think, ‘I wanna do more with this when I get out of the military.’ It’s amazing to be surrounded by people who want to be social workers, who are passionate about the future of social work in this country,” Simon said, who intends to pursue her Master of Social Work here at the college after completing her BSW in 2027.

When asked who her favorite instructor has been so far, Simon explained there was no way to choose. “I adore them all,” she said. “There’s something about each and every one that is my favorite. They're all just incredible human beings and incredible at what they do.”

Simon has very straightforward advice for her fellow veterans considering George �鶹��Ƶ. Two words: Do it!

“You will find your place here, you'll find a home here, you'll find where you belong.”

Topics

Veterans

Office of Military Services

Department of Social Work

social work students

Bachelor of Social Work

Students

She honed her research and counseling skills at �鶹��Ƶ

Shayla Brown — Wed, 10 May 2023 20:09:22 +0000

She honed her research and counseling skills at �鶹��Ƶ Shayla Brown Wed, 05/10/2023 - 16:09

Senior McKenzie Lauber has been involved with research since her freshman year at �鶹��Ƶ. A member of the Honors College, she has worked in the College of Public Health’s Social Work Integrative Research Lab, where she has taken on many roles from interviewing study participants to analyzing data as part of the StrongerMemory project.

Social Work student McKenzie Lauber poses in Peterson Hall. Photo by Cristian Torres.

Lauber is graduating from �鶹��Ƶ this month with a bachelor of social work degree and a minor in criminology.

When not in class, this Honors College student has gained real-world social work experience through an internship at Gateway Homes, a nonprofit group home for people diagnosed with severe mental illness, where she conducts daily interventions and runs a group based on coping mechanisms.

She also acted as the external director for �鶹��Ƶ Miracle Dance Marathon from August 2021 to May 2022, which included fundraising for Children's National Hospital and engaging the local community. She also spent a little over a year as a virtual reading tutor for 10 to 15 students a week in Baltimore City Public Schools.

What are you most proud of regarding your time at �鶹��Ƶ?

I am most proud of being a published co-author on an article about student satisfaction with mentoring opportunities in the Journal of Social Work Education. That was a really monumental moment for me; it allowed me to see the impact I could have through the research I’ve been a part of here at �鶹��Ƶ.

How have you surprised yourself at �鶹��Ƶ?

I always used to think of myself as studious and not much else, but coming to �鶹��Ƶ really expanded my interests and what I thought as possible for myself. While at �鶹��Ƶ, I’ve been a part of multiple student groups. I worked in the Social Work Integrative Research Lab for all of my undergrad years, which is a very rare feat. I’m surprised how much I’ve grown over the past four years. I think most importantly I’ve become more confident in my work and my abilities as a budding social worker.

What resources/opportunities did you find at �鶹��Ƶ that you don't think you'd be able to find anywhere else?

I don’t think I would have been able to find as many career-building opportunities as I got at �鶹��Ƶ anywhere else. Having taken advantage of being able to do research all through undergrad, I can confidently say it has helped me both academically and professionally so much. �鶹��Ƶ also has many resources and events for professional growth, which have been extremely helpful to me, exposing me to jobs and career paths that I would have never imagined for myself.

What have you learned outside the classroom?

I have learned so much here at �鶹��Ƶ beyond the classroom, specifically from my peers within the Department of Social Work. Everyone that I’ve met in my cohort has so much to offer to our field, and I cannot wait to see what everyone does. We all come from different backgrounds and life experiences, so it’s been really great to be able to hear everyone’s perspectives and learn from each other.

I’ve also learned a lot from my internship at Gateway Homes, which gave me real-world social work experience that allowed me to take what I had learned in my classes out into the field. Completing that internship showed how everything I’ve been taught at �鶹��Ƶ fits into the work I will be doing once I graduate.

What impactful professor(s) did you get to work alongside?

I have been fortunate to work alongside so many amazing professors in the Social Work Department, including Emily Ihara and Catherine Tompkins. I have a lot of special memories with each of them, but I think that their confidence in me and my work is honestly what I am the most grateful for. They have given me the opportunity to do things in research that I didn’t even know I was capable of myself. Their support and mentorship have meant the world to me.

What’s next for you?

I got accepted into the Advanced Standing Social Work Program here at �鶹��Ƶ, and I am happy to say that I will be coming back here to earn my master's degree and hopefully continue my research work as well.