#CHBSChats with Janae Brown

Why did you chose to pursue social work?

I’m a firm believer that social work chose me. My mother tells me that the first time I showed interest in social work was when I was three years old and told her that I was “going to help all of the children in foster care so they can be loved!” She had no clue how I even knew what foster care was. Twenty years later, I am still meant to be helping and empowering people from many different populations.

What do you like most about JMU’s social work program?

The people! Both the professors and fellow students help create a supportive environment and truly encourage and challenge everyone to never stop growing.

What are some unique opportunities you have encountered while being in the program?

I have been given the opportunity to work with organizations that I would never have looked into before. Through completion of my fifty hours under a social worker at a local nursing home, I got to know the residents and completed biopsychosocial and intake assessments. I was also given the opportunity to write a grant for Blue Ridge Legal Services alongside two other students that got fully funded and I have been encouraged to explore a vast array of volunteer opportunities in the Harrisonburg community.

Tell us about your senior field placement?

I have been placed with Blue Ridge Community College (BRCC) for the spring semester. Our senior field placement gives us an opportunity to practice and grow skills that we learn throughout our time in the program. As field placement students, we will have our own small caseload of students at BRCC. I am incredibly excited for this opportunity as will have the chance to learn more about working with community college students and empowering them to succeed academically.

Share a mentor who has been helpful to you while being a part of your major or field placement. Alumni? Professor? Advisor?

I have to pick just one? There are so many to choose from! I cannot think of a single professor I have had in the social work department who hasn’t been helpful and an important part of my time in the program. Specifically though, Professors Karen Myers and Laura Hunt Trull, who I've had for many classes, have been extremely influential. They never stop challenging me to be the best I can be and encouraging me to look at the world from different perspectives. I am incredibly grateful for their support so far and know that post-graduation I will be prepared to be a wonderful generalist social worker. Their passion for social work and being agents of change is truly inspiring!

What area of social work are you most interested in pursuing in your future?

I am interested in pursuing working with college students in a student affairs setting. To a lot of people, there may not seem like a lot of parallels between higher education and social work. However, there are so many! For example, in social work we focus a lot on the PIE theory or the person in environment theory. If there are students that may not be succeeding for one reason or another they need someone to look at the entire environment they are in and at their strengths to help guide them toward the educational achievement they desire. I hope to specifically work with first generation students and students who are not given the privileges that a ‘typical’ student may have.

Can you tell us about some of the different organizations you are involved with on campus and how they have been beneficial to you?

To begin, I was a 2018 Orientation Peer Advisor, which was easily one of my absolute favorite things I’ve ever done. I not only gained a plethora of professional skills such as in public speaking and facilitation, but I also found mentors in the pro-staff and some absolutely phenomenal and driven best friends. I had too many great experiences to count but let’s just say working with incoming students and their families was a wonderful experience. Other than that, I was a founding member of JMU Photography Club, of which I am now a secretary for. This club has given me an amazing group of friends and a much needed creative outlet. I recently was inducted into Phi Alpha Honors Society, an honors society specifically for social work majors. I am looking forward to what is still to come with this wonderful organization. I’m also a member of Delta Gamma and served as the director of Public Relations this past year. Delta Gamma has also given me amazing sisters and roommates that encourage me, motivate me and remind me to always ‘do good’ in the world.

VISIT THE SOCIAL WORK WEBSITE

Just for fun...

• Favorite place to eat on campus?
  Steak n’ Shake for sure, I am a big fan of the new D-hall.

• When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
  Weirdly enough, a social worker. While I thought about teaching and even public relations for a little bit in high school, I have always been drawn to be a social worker, you could say this path is my true purpose.

• Favorite thing to do in your free time?
  Re-read Anne of Green Gables, eat some grilled cheese, make some fun stickers on my Silhouette machine, and/or just hang out with my friends!

• Favorite hobby?
  Boy Meets World is my favorite classic for sure, but I guess a more current show I’ve fallen in love with is The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.