Congratulations to Kaitlyn Rademacher for being selected as our Outstanding BASW Student!
Kaitlyn was born and raised here in San Diego, California. She grew up going to the beach, playing volleyball, and doing typical southern Californian things. She loves the outdoors and you can find her outside reading at the park, doing yoga, paddle boarding, or going on a spontaneous camping trip. She really values the community and loves spending time with close friends and family or building new connections within work and school. She tries to live her life with loving kindness at everything she does. She believes that her purpose in life is to be of service to others and help spread love and compassion to the world. This is why she is very excited to graduate and put her MSW to use!
What made you join the Social Work Program at SDSU?
After getting my bachelor’s, I had been working as an advocate for survivors of sex trafficking at a local nonprofit. I really wanted to be able to better support the community and do deeper work to help empower individuals to heal from their trauma. Several of my coworkers (shoutout to Amber, Sheba, & Fabian!) were alumni of this program and I really admired the work they were doing in the field. They inspired me to apply to the program and were so supportive throughout the application process and the whole program.
What was your favorite memory of the program?
My favorite memory is meeting up with several of my classmates in Hillcrest at the start of our second year. We had just finished our first week of in-person classes and it was really cool to be able to finally meet everyone in person and build community.
What are your favorite aspects of the program?
I’ve really enjoyed the different electives the program offers. Taking classes, like Grief & Loss Counseling or the DSM-5 class, has really helped to expand my clinical skills. Additionally, both years of internships were so fulfilling and gave me so much great practical experience in the field.
What are your plans for graduation?
I’ve been so busy trying to finish the semester strong I’ve barely started to think about it! I really want to continue growing my clinical skills in a therapeutic role and earn hours toward licensure. I’m thinking about applying to a variety of community mental health agencies and group practices in hopes of gaining some experience in couples counseling.
Tell us why you would recommend SDSU to potential students?
The MSW program at SDSU has a diverse faculty that brings a lot of different insights and experiences to the program. They really push you to explore your own beliefs as well as the policies and rules in place in society that shape the way we do things today.
Who is your favorite faculty member and why?
Dr. Ko has been my most influential faculty member during my time in the MSW program. I had Dr. Ko for my first social work skills class in my first semester as well as for my grief and loss elective this last semester and it was cool to be able to see how I have grown in that time. She provides the perfect amount of tough love that pushes you to challenge yourself and get outside of your comfort zone to grow your clinical skills while also being authentic, caring, and funny. Dr Ko will volunteer to do a role play in front of the whole class but will also stop mid-class just to check-in and ask how people are feeling or what plans they have for the weekend. I remember early on in the first-semester volunteering to do a suicide assessment role play with her as my client in front of the whole class. I was soo nervous but it was experiences like that that I remember the most and that truly helped me grow as a social worker. She is such a great social worker and professor who truly cares about her students and their learning.
