Shelby Resident Interning at Richland County Youth and Family Council

2014 Feb 17

Shelby resident Samantha Woodby, a senior social work major at Ashland University, is currently interning with the Richland County Youth and Family Council in Mansfield, Ohio.

Woodby is a 2005 graduate of Wayne Memorial High School.

Each spring semester, all AU senior social work majors jump into a semester-long field experience as part of a 500 hour internship placement at an agency supervised by a current social worker. Not only is this an incredible opportunity for the students, but they are able to gain experience and knowledge of working in the field.

Woodby is responsible for being the Service Coordinator at the Council. Currently, she is working on process evaluations for two different services (juvenile diversion and care management) that are offered at the Council. These evaluations will help to improve the services offered by the Richland County Youth and Family Council.

"I maintain regular contact with the families we serve and help to connect them to services that they may need," said Woodby.

Woodby says that Ashland University's social work program helped her immensely in her preparedness for this internship.

"Some of the things that I have learned in the program at AU that I use regularly in my internship include interviewing and assessment skills, case management skills, human behavior theories, research skills, and most importantly, skills that allow me to build strong working relationships with the people I serve," she said.

As a student, she feels highly regarded and respected by many professionals in the community due to her being an Ashland student.

Due to her experience with the Youth and Family Council, Woodby's goal for the internship is too learn firsthand what it takes to be a social worker. She wants to get involved in as many community activities as she can, in hopes that her experience will prepare her for a future career.

Following graduation, Woodby wants to continue in her focus and move into a professional social work career. She was recently offered a social work position at Richland County Adult Protective Services. Because of her current internship and now new employment, this experience has allowed her to gather information regarding many of the resources that are available in the community. Woodby also plans to begin working on a master's degree in social work in 2015.

For more information about the social work program at Ashland University, visit http://www.ashland.edu/cas/departments/social-work-and-family-studies or contact Dr. Michael Vimon, chair of the social work department, at mvimont@ashland.edu or 419.207.6364.

Ashland University, which has been ranked in the top 200 colleges and universities in U.S. News and World Report's National Universities category, is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong, applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students. ###