Published: May 14, 2008 12:58 am            

MSU-Meridian social work awards presented

Anna Gordon, of DeKalb, was recently honored as the National Association of Social Workers’ (NASW) Student Social Worker of the Year at Mississippi State University-Meridian Campus.

“I feel like it is a great achievement to win this award,” said Gordon. “I really have to thank my teachers: Ms. Sandra Vaughn, Dr. Marian Swindell, and Ms. Rhonda Carr. Without them and their guidance, I would not have won it.”

Gordon was one of several students and field instructors recently recognized by MSU-Meridian’s social work program during a special awards luncheon for outstanding achievements during the academic year.

Actively involved in the MSU-Meridian campus, Gordon is a member of the Association of Student Social Workers, where she serves as fundraiser coordinator. She also is a member of Iota Psi Chapter of Phi Alpha Social Work Honor Society and has volunteered to work at numerous social work conferences while obtaining her degree.

Last fall, she received the Frank Eagan Undergraduate Research Award at the Alabama/Mississippi Social Work Education Conference for her research examining the relationship between a student’s college experience and his or her self esteem.

Vaughn, director of MSU-Meridian’s social work program, describes Gordon as “empowerment in a petite package.”

“Her humble, quiet nature is empowerment and the core of her resilience,” Vaughn wrote in a letter nominating Gordon for the award. “She is committed to the enhancement of human well-being and to the empowerment of those who are vulnerable, oppressed and living in poverty.”

During the awards luncheon, “Resiliency Awards” were presented to social work students Trudy King of Philadelphia; Candace Jenkins of Toxey, Ala.; and Mechelle Alexander of Meridian.

Resiliency Awards are individual awards given to students who have overcome special and extenuating circumstances to complete the social work program, said Carr, associate professor of social work.

“Each of these three students experienced a potential barrier that required them to critically think and search for solutions when the ordinary individual may have just simply given up,” she noted. “Despite their circumstances, these students were not only resilient but also steadfast in their commitment to achieving their life-long goal of obtaining a college education.”

King, 54, was thrilled to receive the award and is excited about her graduation. She first started the social work program in 2002, but had to withdraw to care for her terminally ill husband. After his death, she returned to complete her social work degree.

“When I began the social work program in 2002, I was at a point where I knew I needed a change in my career,” said King, who has worked for a nationwide retailer’s Philadelphia store for 27 years. “I felt like social work was my calling … and that I had something I could add to the profession.”

MSU-Meridian’s social work faculty named Amy Floyd, school counselor at Meridian’s T.J. Harris Lower Elementary School, as Field Instructor of the Year. She supervised intern Jerry May this spring semester.

“I am really honored to receive this award,” said Floyd, who earned her bachelor’s degree in social work from MSU-Meridian in 1994 followed by a master’s degree in school counseling in 1998. She has served as a field instructor for the social work program for about eight years.

“Field placement gives students the opportunity to take what they have learned in the classroom and apply it to real life situations, said Floyd. “I remember when I was working on my social work degree the important role my field instructor played in my learning. I try to be helpful, professional and supportive, so my interns have a good learning experience.”

Carr said the faculty selected Floyd for the honor because of her “commitment and dedication to excellence in scholarship and high professional standards as a field instructor. A former graduate of the program, Amy is willing and eager to serve year after year as a field instructor.”

Also during the luncheon, the following students were inducted into the national Phi Alpha Social Work Honor Society: Trudy King and Renee Edwards, both of Philadelphia; April McDowell of Newton; Whitney McAlister of Meridian; Katie Chambers of Shubuta; Nicole McCree of Quitman; and Laura Weathers of DeKalb.

Guest speaker for the luncheon was Spencer Blalock, who is supervisor of the Social Services Department of the Acute Psychiatric Receiving Service at East Mississippi State Hospital. Blalock also serves as chair of the Meridian Program Unit of the Mississippi Chapter of NASW and is a field instructor for MSU-Meridian’s social work program.

Blalock lauded those who have chosen social work as a profession, saying it is a “calling” with no promises of fame, money or prestige.

“You are doing it because something within your soul beckoned you … to be a healer to individuals and society,” he said.

Blalock reminded the students of a social worker’s mission.

“You are committing yourself to share part of yourself with the vulnerable, injured and lost,” he said. “You are doing all of this to give back something so valuable that you have been given, hope and strength.

        

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