军队的经历加强了她对社会工作的兴趣
Graduate student Sheree Stewart’s 24-year military career led her to Carolina and a new way of helping others.
When a friend urged Sheree Stewart to talk with an Army recruiter in her native Baltimore, 她很怀疑. Her father was in the military, and he was gone all the time.
19岁的她很不情愿地答应了. “但我跟你打赌我不会加入，”她告诉她的朋友.
Stewart lost the bet but gained a 24-year career in the military that took her around the world, introduced her to a new kind of family and allowed her to help other soldiers.
Now Stewart wants to help families and children as a social worker, a goal that brought her to Carolina for the Master of 社会工作 program.
“I guess the plan all along worked out: for me to go be in the military, get this experience that I have and be able to give back to a community,斯图尔特说。, 是社会工作学院的一员 首届金政策研究员. Her service ranged from deployments in support of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan to a role as an Army congressional legislative liaison in Washington, D.C.
Even before joining the Army, Stewart planned to study social work in college. But she left Morgan State University after a year because she wasn’t focused. A year working with Baltimore schoolchildren through AmeriCorps strengthened her belief that social work was her calling.
She felt the call since surviving the risks of her teen years. “我来自市中心, 让自己陷入麻烦很容易, depending on the friends that you might have and what you’re doing,斯图尔特说.
但首先是她在军队的职业生涯. 她第一次离家生活, went through boot camp and gained skills like firing and cleaning a weapon. She also learned the most valuable lesson: how to work as a team with a diverse group of strangers.
She acclimated quickly and soon began to flex her leadership muscles. 在韩国, 科威特, 日本或其他任何地方, Stewart became a go-to person for onboarding new troops, helping them get adjusted to military life and being there for them.
Sheree Stewart在2003年被部署在科威特时. (提交的图)
That could mean providing human resources training to subordinates, peers and leaders. Or listening to a 19-year-old soldier talk about relationship issues. Or helping soldiers identify and develop career goals, even if those were outside the military.
That’s where Stewart sees parallels between her work in the Army and her future as a social worker. While her audience might shift, “it’s just still social problems.”
Stewart is already picking up experience helping others as an intern. 在维克县公设辩护律师事务所, she’s connecting people with mental health and/or substance abuse resources, 以及港湾之家服务公司, she helped youth dealing with homelessness and other issues.
At Carolina, she’s learning about the clinical practice and policy sides of social work. 她打算先直接练习, 也许是寄养家庭, 儿童福利或作为学校社会工作者. Eventually, she would like to run a residential group home for at-risk youth.
“我们无法选择自己出生的家庭，”她说. “Some youth are born into circumstances that are beyond their control, and they’re not getting the level of support that they need.”
Sheree Stewart在她的军队退役仪式上. 她于9月9日正式退休. 1. (提交的图)
斯图尔特还希望影响社会工作政策. Her experience working with members of Congress and senior military leaders provided insights on “how to get change in writing,”她说。.
与此同时, Stewart has found community through the Graduate Student Center and the Carolina Veterans Resource Center. She views her time in Chapel Hill as the perfect bridge between her military career and her future in social work.
斯图尔特说：“我算是实现了自己的梦想.
