Email Greta to learn more about her social work path, hands-on experiences, and more!

Get to know Greta:

Why did you choose Social Work at Mizzou?

I chose the Social Work degree because I’ve always known I wanted to help people in some capacity in my career; social work is seen as the ultimate helping profession, so I knew it was where I belonged! I also love that the program highlights all areas of social work, not just medical, because social workers can be used everywhere. The major has a very holistic approach!

Tell us more about how you’ve gotten hands-on experience!

I had the opportunity to take an extensive tour of Jefferson City Correctional Center (JCCC), a maximum-security men’s prison, for a social work course called Delinquency, Correction, and Social Treatment. My entire class toured JCCC and met incarcerated men who were a part of the restorative justice models we’d been studying in class. I found myself smiling ear to ear throughout the tour when seeing JCCC’s Restorative Justice Programs in action; I was completely in awe of the work that is being done for the community, and the inmates doing the work, within the barbed wire. I could talk about the tour, the inmates, and the reciprocal impact of JCCC’s programs for hours! 

How has your time at Mizzou shaped who you are today?

Being here has pushed me outside my comfort zone and helped me grow more confident, because trying new things almost always leads to something rewarding. A lot of that growth has come from my involvement on campus—I’m the Community Engagement Chair for the Council of Student Social Workers, a member of Sigma Eta Rho, and a secondary handler for the Mizzou Service Dog Club. The Service Dog Club is actually the newest group I joined, and it partners with Retrieving Freedom to help train service dogs for disabled veterans and children with autism. It’s really cool to be part of something outside my major but still centered around helping others, and being involved has truly made my time at Mizzou meaningful.