Social Work Month 2024: Spotlight on LAYC’s Social Workers!
March is Social Work Month, and it is a time to recognize and celebrate the invaluable contributions of social workers in creating positive change. This year’s theme is “Empowering Social Workers,” as recognized by National Association of Social Workers, highlights the crucial role social workers play in advocating for the rights and well-being of marginalized communities.
At LAYC, our social work staff works in various departments, from housing to workforce and education to social services. They play a vital role in empowering youth, supporting families, and advocating for our communities. In light of this, we would love to highlight some of our dedicated social workers from LAYC:
Note: Interviews were conducted by Stephanie Lim Aguiar, clinical social work intern in LAYC Social Service Department and former staff at LAYC.
Meet Our Dedicated Social Workers
Henderson Rodriguez (he, him) is a case manager for the River Corps Program. Henderson learned early on that he wanted to pursue social work. He describes shadowing a social worker in high school and realizing he wanted to work with people. This social worker he shadowed was a former LAYC staff member who became a mentor to Henderson, helping him gain insight into this profession and navigate college. Currently pursuing his MSW, Henderson says, “there is a stigma [attached to] social work. I wish people had a different perspective on it. Social work is really there to help people see their options, and then they can decide what’s best for them.” Henderson describes social workers as “barrier breakers” and a “bridge” for people to learn what resources are available to them. Henderson stressed that social workers “don’t deal with just one person – [they] deal with their whole ecosystem.” The ability for Henderson to serve as a barrier breaker himself and pursue his education is made possible by people like Alma Chavez. Henderson shared, “I have been blessed because I have the support of my program manager. She completely understands my mission and my goal in the long term. I wish all social workers had this support. It makes this so manageable.”
Erin Weiss (she/her) is a school-based mental health therapist. While she did not initially intend to study social work, Erin came to choose it as her profession. Having gained experience in hospital and residential foster care settings, Erin takes seriously the level of clinical decision-making required to take on the mental health needs of others. She says that “social workers are smart and flexible,” adding that “[the work] is not just emotionally hard. It’s clinically and academically hard.” She mentions the extent to which clinicians need to learn the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) and become skilled at conducting assessments and screenings. Furthermore, she champions the need for social workers to be “taken seriously as critical thinkers and multitaskers.”
Randolph Meekins (he/him) is the Deputy Director of the Promotor Pathway. Randolph’s desire to be in social work stemmed from a personal loss in his life, from which he wanted to “bridge that gap” for others in similar circumstances. Randolph emphasizes that “social workers wear many hats” and work in a wide range of settings that enable them to “be supporters where[ever] [people] are.” This certainly speaks to Randolph’s roles at LAYC where he served as a Promotor himself, and now has a leadership role within the organization. As a male social worker, Randolph recognizes the need for there to be more supportive pathways into this work, noting that educational assistance and exposure to the possibilities of social work are sorely needed. Randolph says that “social workers are a necessity to our society” and that he desires to see policies directly address issues of pay, benefits, and capacity to provide timely and appropriate care to individuals.
Ariela Garcia-Queche (she/her/ella) is a school-based Promotor. She describes how working with her counselors in high school paved the way for her curiosity to develop, sharing, “I knew I wanted to help people, but didn’t know how and where.” Eventually, Ariela’s passion was noticed by a professor who encouraged her to consider social work. She realized how much of an impact she wanted to make on youth, noting that “[they] are the future.” Ariela says that social workers are well-rounded, open-minded, and ready to work. She also stresses that there are a multitude of career options for social workers, and that they are not all therapists. “We’re always working together. Social workers are always open to learning and being able to take in new information to reach our goals.” Ariela touches on an important aspect of the work, stating that on the whole, “[social workers] do a lot of work that we don’t get credit for. Advocating for ourselves is something to work on.” In her role as a Promotor, Ariela wears many hats, and credits her team with a special emphasis on Shayna Scholnick, the Director of the Promotor Pathway, for supporting her.
Cintia Carvalho (she/her) is a school-based mental health therapist. Cintia began her social work journey by engaging in community-based volunteer work. She recounts a time where she witnessed a social worker advocating on behalf of a youth in foster care, which led her to understand that she could do more by knowing more. Cintia loves what she does and loves learning about people. She describes a sense of shared values between social workers, that they do not necessarily go into this work for money or success as such. That being said, she emphasizes the importance of being curious and empathetic as a practitioner and the need for social workers to have holistic, systemic support within a realm of work that asks much of their mental and emotional reserves. In regard to strengthening this profession, Cintia shares that more widespread knowledge about “what do would be a great advantage … and attract more people” to this work. She sums it up by stating that “we need to be happy doing what we do to better serve people.”
