Social Work Education

Social work education and practicum lead to life‑changing client outcomes

Taylor Thomas — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 13:22:42 +0000

Social work education and practicum lead to life‑changing client outcomes Taylor Thomas Thu, 04/30/2026 - 09:22

Key Takeaways:

First-generation George Mason social work student Evelyn Carcamo is graduating after six years of balancing work, parenting, and school.
Through her practicum at Ayuda, she connects immigrants and refugee survivors with resources
Carcamo plans to pursue a master’s in social work and become a licensed clinical social worker serving underserved communities.

At the local nonprofit Ayuda, one client came to Evelyn Carcamo overwhelmed. With limited access to food and no clear way to get health care, he wasn’t sure how to provide for his family.

Carcamo, a social work student at 91��'s College of Public Health, helped him sort through his options. She connected him to food assistance and walked him through applying for Medicaid, linking him to medical and mental health services.

Evelyn Carcamo. Photo provided.

Over time, she saw a shift in the way he engaged. “He became more confident, more comfortable asking questions, and more involved in planning next steps for himself,” she said.

Carcamo is completing her practicum at Ayuda as part of her bachelor’s degree program at George Mason, conducting intakes and needs assessments for survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual assault, and other crimes. Many of her clients are immigrants and refugees navigating systems that feel unfamiliar and intimidating to them.

“They’re high-need clients,” she said. “But it's very rewarding.”

It’s work she recognizes on a personal level. Carcamo grew up watching her parents, who came to the United States from El Salvador before she was born, teach themselves English and wade through resources without guidance.

In May, Carcamo will graduate as a first-generation college student. She wants to continue her work serving immigrant and underserved communities as a clinical social worker, with plans to start George Mason’s master of social work program next fall.

Shifting goals

For Carcamo, a career in social work marks a shift years in the making.

Growing up in Arlington, Virginia, Carcamo never saw higher education as a given. High school graduation was the milestone. After earning her diploma, she went straight into the workforce as a medical assistant and, at 25, gave birth to her son.

For three years at Mason and Partners Clinic, Carcamo served as an interpreter for largely uninsured, Spanish-speaking patients. Many of them revealed more than their symptoms.

“People would tell me their whole story,” she said. “And then they’d leave, and I’d still think about them, like, ‘Oh, I wonder if they got that resource they needed.’”

Moments like that changed how she thought about helping people. “That’s how I started to realize I wanted to do something beyond medical,” she said. “I wanted to make a difference in another way.”

At the same time, she’d hit a ceiling in her career. “I realized I had to go back to school or I wasn’t going to move forward,” she said.

Carcamo first enrolled at Northern Virginia Community College, then transferred to 91�� through the ADVANCE Program.

“As a medical assistant, I was very task-focused and centered on immediate physical needs,” Carcamo said. “Now, I take a more holistic and trauma-informed approach. I spend more time listening, building trust, and understanding each client’s lived experience. This shift has made my work feel more meaningful and more connected to the people I serve.”

Her coursework at George Mason has helped her appreciate more fully what her clients are up against. “They’re not just dealing with individual challenges, but also bigger systemic issues like language access, immigration concerns, and financial stress,” she said.

Finding her place

While raising her son, now 9 years old, on her own., Carcamo has earned Dean’s List recognition and received the Rose Rago Braddock Endowed Scholarship, awarded based on merit and financial need.

“It’s been overwhelming sometimes,” she said. “I have to make sure my job is flexible. I have to make sure I get my assignments turned in on time. I have to make sure I make it to practicum and get my hours. I have to be at my son’s events and make sure he’s well taken care of.”

She’s steadied herself by focusing on the long view. “It’s just temporary,” she would repeat. “The finish line is almost there.”

After six years of balancing work, parenting, and school at George Mason, Carcamo is now just weeks away from graduating. And her younger sister, now at Virginia Commonwealth University, is also hoping to pursue social work, following a path Carcamo helped clear.

"I always tell her, get it done now," Carcamo said. "It will be so much easier than what I did. If I can show her it's possible, that means everything to me.”

Topics

Bachelor of Social Work

CPH - Social Work

social work students

Social Work

Social Work Education

Mason’s Next Generation of Social Workers

John Brandon Cantrell — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 15:57:28 +0000

Mason’s Next Generation of Social Workers John Brandon C… Wed, 09/08/2021 - 11:57

In This Story

Daniel Freedman, PhD, MSW, LCSW

Students in the BSW program reflect on their aspirations to become social workers.

From helping families affected by domestic violence and food insecurity to educating others on mental health and helpful resources, social workers increase access to support services, build stronger communities in the areas they serve, and play a fundamental role in public health. Students beginning the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program this academic year share why they aspire to join the profession and their excitement to join a supportive community of students and faculty.

On August 18, new BSW students attended an orientation led by Daniel Freedman, BSW program director. During the session, students learned about the course requirements and resources for Mason students and gained insight from seniors in the program, who shared advice and spoke about professional development opportunities.

Josselyn Ruano, a junior who changed her major from business management to social work, joined the program to work in a field that aligns with her passions. “[Social work has] always been something I am really passionate about,” Ruano says. “My older sister graduated from Mason, and she was a social work major, so seeing how she enjoyed her college experience as well as what she is doing [in the workforce] now has always interested me.”

Eager to learn new skills that will help her support others, Ruano views social work as an opportunity to become someone she has always wanted to be. “I want to be the person I didn’t have growing up,” Ruano says. “As a first-generation student, it’s like I’m breaking barriers, something my parents couldn’t do. Now I have an opportunity to give back to people who do need help.”

For junior Amy Burkhart, the ability to help people has been the driving force in deciding her major. While exploring her options, Burkhart became interested in social work after taking a personality test. “All of the results were either counselor or social worker, so I was like, ‘What does a social worker do?’ And that’s when I realized they were literally underground heroes,” Burkhard says. “It’s like we are supposed to see a problem in society and fix it.”

Both Burkhart and Ruano look forward to joining a community of students who share common interests. “You don’t hear about social workers a lot, so it’s kind of lonely when you realize you have a passion for something, but you don’t have any community in your normal, day-to-day life as a young adult,” Burkhart says.

“I definitely think within the program and by attending this [orientation], there is a strong sense of community, and everybody is in it to help each other,” Ruano says.

In a show of that community spirit, several accomplished BSW seniors—Abdelaziz Hasen, Nia Hutson, and Casey Nelson—spoke at the orientation to offer advice and share information on professional development opportunities for future social workers.

“I was encouraging them to get involved and take advantage of the resources that we have here,” says Nelson, who is the president of Social Workers at Mason (SWAM). “There are a lot of research opportunities and club opportunities, like SWAM. I also told them to put themselves out there, talking to [others] with similar passions, because it’s really nice to talk with like-minded people who want to see change in the world.”

Hutson and Hasen both spoke to the new students about the importance of having confidence in themselves as they begin the program and confronting any fears they have about learning new skills. “I think that if you understand your fear and confront it, you will find room to grow, find your strengths and weaknesses, and be more open-minded to things,” Hasen said at the session.

When asked about their experience in the program, the seniors felt prepared and motivated to join the social work field after graduating. “I am really thankful that I found a major and a career field that I am 110 percent into and I know that I’m going to enjoy,” Hutson says.

Topics

Social Work

Social Work Education

Student Spotlight

CHHS News