Student Profile: Joseph Clark on his past and future path in social work and lessons learned while serving as KSSA BSW Representative and President

Student Profile: Joseph Clark

On his past and future path in social work and lessons learned 

while serving as KSSA BSW Representative and President

Name: Joseph Clark

Class: BSW 2017

Hometown: Born and raised here in Louisville

What made you choose to major in social work? And what made you choose the Kent School of Social Work?

I chose to major in social work because an old friend of mine had been abused by his parents since he was young. I saw the immediate effects of this abuse, and it sparked something inside me that really made me want to change the way abuse was dealt with and help those kids in need. Eventually I’ve changed my career path from CPS to Gerontology, but everything has changed for personal reasons and I love that about social work -- everyone’s path is unique to them.

I chose to come to the Kent school because 1. UL tuition is cheaper than the other university around here, 2. I would be coming back to UL after I completed my Gen Eds somewhere else. 3. Obviously I knew that the Kent School was ranked #1 in Kentucky!

You were the KSSA President for the 2015-2016 school year, but you were already involved in KSSA prior to your tenure as President. When did you first become involved in KSSA, and why? What elements of your experience at the time helped you as a KSSA Officer, and what are the biggest lessons you learned during that time?

I first became involved in KSSA my sophomore year as the BSW Representative. I decided to join because Laurie O’Hare (God bless her!) kept suggesting that this would be a good organization for me to join and that I would enjoy participating. Lo and behold, I loved it and eventually worked my way up to be elected as President.

From my time as a BSW Officer, I learned the ins and outs of how the council worked and how the student government operated, and I started to get a grasp on what students wanted to see happen and how I could go about accomplishing them. One of the things I learned quickly is to document everything! Eventually someone will want to either repeat what you have done (they may need guidance) or someone may question what you’re doing and, if it’s documented, it can make whatever process you’re going through easier. I also learned a lot about communication. Keeping constant communication between the Kent School Faculty and Staff, between them and students, and between the council members was extremely important. Everything works better when everyone knows what’s going on.

What advice do you have for students who might be on the fence about whether they want to participate in KSSA this year? 

For anyone who’s on the fence, I say just go for it! Go to the free events and lunches and whatever else might interest you. Bring a friend and get them involved or just so you don’t have to be alone and feel awkward. But to those who don’t have anyone to go with them, I can absolutely guarantee them that they won’t feel awkward for very long. This year's full council will make everyone feel extremely welcome at the events. And it’s an amazing way to get involved with many different facets at U of L. I’ve had the benefit of getting to know professors and other staff in the Kent School as well as having the option of getting involved with the bigger picture of things that happen to all of UL. Whether you want to be deeply involved or maybe just want to enjoy yourself once, I would highly suggest participating in KSSA. YOU ARE NEVER LOCKED INTO PARTICIPATING IF YOU DON’T WANT TO!!!

What advice do you have for the new KSSA Executive Council?

For the new council, I would highly recommend keeping open communication and planning things way in advance. Last year, we had 3 highly active members so we weren’t able to accomplish everything we wanted to. This also limited us on the things we could do, so many times we were down to the wire getting things ready. And please please PLEASE! keep all the KSSA documents up-to-date. I came into KSSA not knowing anything and have little to nothing to go on. If you can keep everything up-to-date in multiple places, keep on open communication, and plan ahead the year will be a magnificent success.

What are your plans for the future?

My current plans are to finish this year on a high note and apply to as many Master’s schools as possible. I’m searching for scholarships that will let me travel and experience a new way of teaching and learning in other states, so hopefully that will happen. Outside of the classroom, I’m beginning to plan a month-long trip to France to visit some friends I have made over the years here at UL. My ultimate goal would be to learn as much social work as I can here and then take my experience to other countries. I’d love to practice social work all over the world while also gaining what social work experience they have to offer. I guess as you can see that even outside of the classroom, I’m still thinking about how I can incorporate social work [into my daily life] and how that can benefit me and the others around me. Social work has definitely been a highlight of my life so far.

Are you a Kent student or alumni interested in completing a profile of your own? Contact the Blog Editor at jwsnyd03@cardmail.louisville.edu and we'll email you a questionnaire!