In social work, joy is “not optional.”

“Joy is our fuel,” says Ayesha Clarke ’06, ’18 MSW. “It’s what allows us to keep going when the systems feel too big and the process feels too slow. Joy will sustain you.”

On Aug. 22, Clarke, executive director of Health Equity Solutions in Hartford, spoke to more than 240 incoming BSW and MSW students, faculty, and SSW staff during the UConn School of Social Work Convocation held in the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford.

During her keynote address, Clarke stressed the importance of taking pride in the social work profession. “By choosing social work, you’re choosing a profession rooted in courage, service, justice, and hope and with the title of social worker, feel proud because we are the healers. We are the advocates. We are the problem solvers and strategists.”

Clarke, now a political social worker, spent 11 years working as an auditor for the IRS before realizing she needed a meaningful career change. After taking a “life changing” human impressions class at UConn she knew that she needed to pursue social work. She soon enrolled in the MSW program, developing skills in empathy, listening, analysis, documentation, and advocacy.

“These are the are exact same skills you need in those rooms with lawmakers, commissioners, mayors, governors or even the president,” she says. “It’s also important to listen. Let families be the storytellers and let them share how they are impacted or feeling left behind. It’s crucial to hear their voice.”

During the convocation, SSW Dean and Professor Laura Curran stressed that social work is not for the faint of heart. “It’s challenging and demanding, but you can’t ask for a more transformative, mission-driven profession,” she says. “As social workers, we are committed to improving individual lives, strengthening communities, and fighting for social, racial, and economic justice while also confronting the systems and structures that shape lives.

Social workers are needed now, more than ever, she says. “While we cannot promise that this journey will be easy, we can promise that it will matter. With your degree, you can work with children or the elderly, veterans or refugees, or just about any population or community. You can become a therapist, a community organizer, or serve in schools, hospitals, housing programs or government. Social workers belong everywhere.”

Curran also advised the students to build strong relationships with their peers, SSW faculty, join student groups, and attend lectures and events.

“This community is not just your school community, it’s a community of future colleagues and collaborators. Education is an opportunity not just to learn new skills but to see the world differently. Welcome to UConn and welcome to the School of Social Work and welcome to the beginning of a powerful chapter in your lives.”

Additional photos of the convocation and lunch are below (Olivia Drake/UConn Photo):