Student Spotlight: Sierra Harvey

Outstanding Undergraduate Student: Sierra Harvey

Sierra calls San Diego home but also lived in Ohio, Germany, Utah, and Colorado. Hoping to take away everything she could from college, Sierra dove into all opportunities she found interest in. On any given day of the school year, in her role of residential advisor she could be listening to her residents, leading a financial literacy session with SDSU students, or at her social work internship, supporting parents and connecting them with resources. In her free time, Sierra enjoys reading fantasy books, watching Spanish shows, or going on long long walks! Sierra hopes to put her interest into action as a school social worker, providing regular services to students as well as opening up parenting circles and providing free bilingual financial literacy classes after school for students and parents alike. Sierra is excited to be graduating and hopes to teach English in Spain before starting graduate school.

What made you join the Social Work Program at SDSU?

Before starting at SDSU, the Office of Admissions let me defer my enrollment for a year. During this time, I moved to Colorado and became an AmeriCorps member at North High School where I did many social work tasks for my caseload of 30 sophomore students. This experience solidified my interest in social work, and like my peers in my major, the childhood memories I have also carried me toward social work. As far as picking SDSU, I think it was because it was local to my family, I would be able to receive my tuition assistance here, and it is one of the only CSU and UC schools that offers the major. 

What was your favorite memory of the program?

Through the Latino Student Social Work Association (LSSWA), the Latinx Resource Center, and the Social Workers of Color student organizations, I was able to listen to guest speakers over my four years including Dolores Huerta, Dr. Shirley Weber, the Voices of Our City Choir, Karamo Brown, and Ibram X. Kendi. I believe I have taken something valuable from each of those speakers. Outside of these experiences, I have enjoyed getting to know my classmates, especially my friend Juan Estrada Silvestre, learning from my clients at Casa Familiar, and volunteering at LSSWA’s annual Barrio Logan Food Basket event.

What do you look forward to the most in the program?

I enjoy the smallness of the social work program. The faces you see in upper-division courses will no doubt reappear in a number of your classes. Also the social work faculty is diverse in race, ethnicity, and life experiences. This is reflected in the social work student body as well. There is no doubt in my mind that this diversity has bettered my experience here as well as my classmates.  

Tell us why you would recommend SDSU to potential students.

I would recommend coming here because if you are willing to search around, you will likely find a community for you. It is easy to get lost when you don’t have direction and you’re struck by the strong frat and sorority culture; but if you are determined to find your people, they will appear.