Kuyper Hosts First-Ever Social Work Experience Day
It’s no surprise that Professor Jen Colin is passionate about Kuyper College’s social work program.
“It not only offers a robust curriculum with advanced standing opportunities, but small class sizes, personalized and engaging learning, and hands-on experience—all through the lens of a Reformed worldview,” said Kuyper’s associate professor of social work and the program’s director.
So naturally, when Kuyper decided to host its inaugural Social Work Experience Day—designed to give prospective students a glimpse into the social work program—on September 26, she was excited.
The day’s events began with a bright-and-early check-in before an official welcome from Kuyper President Patricia Harris, who highlighted the College’s long history of equipping students for social work careers, going all the way back to its first group of graduates in 1942.
“When Mary DeBoer and Marguerite Bonnema came to Kuyper, they were well-prepared to cast a vision and launch Bethany Christian Services—an organization that has touched the lives of children and families around the world,” she said.
And, Harris emphasized, Kuyper is the perfect place for anyone who, like DeBoer and Bonnema, wants to cultivate their desire to care for others through a career in social work.
“Our accredited social work program and dedicated faculty will help you discern your calling and prepare you for a life of meaningful service,” Harris said.
Next up was a panel discussion featuring local professionals who serve in a wide variety of areas within the field. They answered questions from the audience and offered words of wisdom for future social workers.
“There are so many areas of social work to explore, so many options. I can’t imagine careers more interesting than those in social work,” said Melinda Richert, a public defender and director of holistic defense in the Muskegon County court system.
“Social work is really about making a difference. Social workers can support people of all ages. Every step in this career matters, and every person who is helped matters,” added Noelle Rottier, clinical programmer and educational and career coordinator at Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services.
After attendees joined the Kuyper community for a service in the Vos Chapel, they embarked on a tour of the Kuyper campus, led by familiar faces such as Ann Essenburg, director of admissions, and admissions counselor Sophie Hogan.
They then gathered for a poverty simulation, led by Colin and Kelli Hoffman, associate professor of social work and Kuyper’s director of field education.
“The goal was to get students thinking about what it’s like living in poverty and how difficult that can actually be,” said Colin.
Following a round of the online quiz game Kahoot!, which Colin filled with myths and facts about the social work field, the day’s events wrapped up with lunch in the Walters Dining Room, where current Kuyper social work students shared their experiences with attendees.
Colin was enthusiastic about the event’s success and the opportunity to share Kuyper’s program with prospective social work students.
“Our primary objective was to help them learn about how great the field of social work can be and, once they fell in love with it, to show them why they should come study it at Kuyper,” said Colin.
