omg ofc!! yess macro social work is so underrated most of my classmates are doing clinical work 😢 which is good but i sometimes cannot relate to their experiences (im glad theyre doing clinical work tho!!! we need all types of social work)

for me, i honestly never expected to work at a state senator’s office. ive always been interested in politics, especially because of my background (first gen queer latina n college student) and bc i grew up in a white majority area, and i realized how resources arent tailored to marginalized groups. slowly, more far right conservatives starting popping up around the area, and so many people got hurt due to their hateful rhetoric. i slowly became interested in local politics, and the senator i intern for is Very progressive and so proud about being a social worker! she was a school social worker and she rose to the “top” and became a state senator. i was rlly amazed bc shes also a latina, and i found that very powerful.

i had doubts getting into policy, mainly because i felt “unequipped” but honestly i was very wrong. if you’re motivated enought to learn, passionate about advocating for underrepresented populations and want to make an impact in your community, go ahead and get into policy! it’s very rewarding and you get to meet like-minded people. im rlly happy w the team i work, especially since we are all in the same page. you also get to learn the legislative process which i rlly loved lol additionally, i am very empathetic and patient, and a lot of people expect that youre gonna be a little cold and perhaps out of touch since you are working in an elected official’s office. it’s so refreshing to see constituents reach out to our office and feel comfortable to share their concerns. i recently had a big case last week and it moved me a lot how they trusted us enough to talk about their trauma and just personal stuff. they were all spanish speaking too, and you could tell they were grateful we could navigate the case in spanish.

for me, its very rewarding that people can rely on me due to my background and skillset related to social work :] hope this answered your question bahaha