Hello! My name is Sydney Walsh and I am a Longwood University senior social work student and intern at LOC Family Services in Farmville, VA. Throughout my time at Longwood, I have been fortunate enough to be a part of many organizations and to have taken on leadership roles in the Longwood community. In doing so, I have learned a lot about professionalism, collaboration, and servant leadership.
Since before attending Longwood University, I knew I wanted to help others, whether that meant being a psychiatrist, a lawyer, or a social worker. I grew up learning from my parents how to be compassionate, empathetic, kind, honest, and forgiving. Seeing my mom’s passion for working with individuals with developmental disabilities was life changing because from then on, I knew I had the same passion. After my Intro to Social Work course, I fell in love with social work because of the values we all hold as social workers. The social work values are a big factor that sets social work apart from other social sciences. These values are what grounds social workers, including myself, in the field, and reminds us of our ultimate goal as social workers which is to advocate for social justice.
As graduation draws near, I reflect on my gratitude towards both Longwood University and the Social Work Program for the countless opportunities awarded to me. I have had the opportunity to mentor my peers (Peer Mentors, Social Work Mentor, Ambassadors, Sigma Sigma Sigma), expand my leadership skills (Peer Mentors, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Catholic Campus Ministry), become more involved within the field of social work (Phi Alpha, internships at the Department of Social Services and LOC Family Services), and be awarded for my dedication to my studies and impact on campus (Citizen Leader Award for Emerging Leader, Outstanding First Year Student Advocate Award, President’s List, Dean’s List, membership to Phi Kappa Phi).
