MSSW Student Jack Simon

Jack Simon participated in the 3-year Extended Study at the Nashville Campus. His first semester was Fall of 2018 and he just graduated this May, completing the Evidence Based Interpersonal Practice track (EBIP). 

When starting the program, Simon new immediately how different the experience was from undergrad. “There was this contagious energy in the room that I could only describe as everyone actually wanting to be there,” he said. “It was clear that for the students, participating in the program was about so much more than earning a degree, but also about taking active steps to make the world a better place. In my CBT course this past semester, I participated in a group project on Compassion Focused Therapy. During the project, I was able to construct from start to finish a group therapeutic activity based on a theoretical model with immediate application possibilities. This was a phenomenally cool moment where I thought to myself, ‘you know what, I’m actually kind of good at this, this is where I am supposed to be.’ It was a moment of pride mixed with humility as it demonstrated just how far I have come.” 

Now that he has graduated, Simon will be working at the Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital as a Pre-Licensed Mental Health Social Worker. “I’m excited to begin this new path in life,” he said. “I found a discipline that not only embraces the individual pursuit of truth, but recognizes and revels in the wide variety of the human experience. Of the millions of things social workers do, one of the major uniting factors is that we all believe human beings, at their deepest most initiate levels, want to do good and want to be happy. It is that concept, the commitment to the beauty of the human experience, that made me realize I wanted to be a social worker. I cannot express enough how grateful I am for my experience in the program at UTCSW. I feel tremendously lucky for the education provided to me. It is a program where you get out as much as you put in and where above all, everyone is just trying to make the world a better place.”     
 

MSSW Student Khyesha Leverett

Khyesha Leverett has a passion for clinical work. As a full-time advanced standing student on the evidenced based interpersonal track (EBIP), her favorite part of the student experience was the development of her clinical skills. “I loved completing assignments that were tailored towards developing my clinical skills with the kids I was working with at my practicum,” she said. “My personal life experiences, love for people, and low tolerance for injustice and oppression drew me to the field of Social Work. 

Having just graduated in May, Leverett is excited to get started on the next phase of her life. “I will start work at a community-centered service agency called Camelot Cares where I will be the Families Assessment Coordinator,” she stated. “While working, I plan to study for my LMSW and pass the test before the end of 2021. That’s my goal and I plan to work hard to achieve it. I would not be here if it weren’t for all of the exceptional educators that taught me with their hearts. I am eternally grateful for their wisdom and professional guidance.”