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Student Spotlight: Maria Clark ‘25 (MSW)
Maria Clark '25 is an inspiring student in the Master of Social Work (MSW) program at Roberts Wesleyan University.
Hailing from Hamburg, New York, Maria balances her graduate studies with a full-time career at the Veterans Health Administration and her role as a mother of ten children.
With a desire to grow personally and professionally, Maria has found the Roberts program transformative for her spiritual development and academic goals. In this student spotlight, Maria shares her remarkable story and the impactful role Roberts has played in her life.
What’s your story?
Because of the family members before me, I am living the American dream. My maternal grandmother aged out of foster care, my dad was adopted from an orphanage in Germany, and myself and two of my non-biological siblings were adopted from Colombia.
I want my children to know that they can do anything that they’re willing to work for, no matter their past. I was abandoned in a hotel room in a third-world country, but with love and support from the most amazing family, I am a wife, mother of ten, federal employee, and Hispanic female who will have a graduate degree.
I was in control of my destiny – so are they. The world is their oyster.
How will your Roberts education help you reach your goals?
My short-term goal – I’d love to work as a part-time clinician. My long-term goal is that of Healthcare or Public Health Administration.
Most certainly, the end result of a degree is required for both my short-term and long-term goals. But beyond the degree itself, Roberts has really helped me to self-reflect. I have a greater understanding of my worldview and am better able to recognize the differences between my own worldview and others.
Maria and her dog, Nala
How has Roberts impacted your spiritual journey?
Roberts has helped me tremendously in being less intimidated by spirituality and religion.
My spiritual journey didn’t necessarily start until I started this program. I had never really considered my spiritual journey. As it turns out, my religion and spirituality have guided many of my major life choices.
What is the best thing about studying your major?
Learning from being able to support younger peers. Students coming straight out of their bachelor’s programs are so dedicated and hungry for knowledge. They still believe in the best of people and have a healthy skepticism of systems.
I have two favorite courses thus far: Social and Cultural Diversity and Psychopathology.
I enjoyed Social and Cultural Diversity because I love critical thinking and understanding different perspectives on difficult topics.
I loved Psychopathology because of its specificity. Breaking down etiology, diagnosis, and intervention is exciting to me, especially considering differential diagnoses.
Left to right: Kristine Consiglio, Dieuveut Gaity, and Hiie Eichenbaum
Who is your favorite professor and what’s one way they’ve helped you?
Professor Consiglio – Clinical experience and application to real-world situations.
Professor Gaity – His passion for policy is contagious, he made policy less intimidating and dare I say, may have sparked a policy passion inside of me.
Professor Hiie – Written feedback: this feedback has assisted in my accumulative improvement in written assignments. I also love that she is grateful for her education. This has made me more grateful for the opportunity to receive this level of education.
Maria at the adoption hearing for two of her foster children
How do you serve others?
From a career perspective, I have worked with individuals of all ages with developmental disabilities, mental illnesses, and substance abuse disorders, and now, our veterans.
From a personal perspective, I’m a mom of ten. My husband came with three, we have one biological together, we have adopted 5 (through Erie County Foster Care), and have one foster child in care with us.
Maria celebrating at a Bills game
What advice would you give to a prospective MSW student?
Firstly, you can do this.
Secondly, you don’t have to be perfect.
Lastly, you deserve this.
I wish I could’ve told my younger self this: You will make mistakes in life, big ones and small ones. It is okay to make these mistakes, and you are still a good person. Make peace with those mistakes and continue to evolve into the person that you want to be.
What academic or professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
I am most proud to have participated in a graduate program.
I postponed my graduate education for many years. Then, one day, out of simple curiosity, I sent a query to Roberts’ admissions department. Because of how busy I am, I honestly didn’t think there would be a program in the world that would fit my family and my needs.
When I sent the query, there was no option to attend the program virtually. There was a hybrid option, but as I live in Hamburg, that would not have worked out.
However, several months later, my enrollment representative contacted me and told me this was now an option at Roberts. Had she never called me, I would never have entered the program, or any program for that matter. I think that was God’s sign that it was time.
I took the leap, I was ready, and God made it possible.
Faculty Feedback
"Maria Clark consistently demonstrates a profound understanding of the complexities within social systems and a genuine commitment to fostering positive change in communities, which is facilitated by her rich experience in the medical and mental health settings serving children and families. Her ability to integrate theory with practice is a testament to her holistic approach to social work. Her coursework is not merely an academic exercise but a reflection of her unwavering determination to equip herself with the knowledge, values, and skills necessary to address pressing issues effectively, particularly in mental health and child welfare. Maria’s exemplary dedication to her studies and passion for social work is inspiring and underscores her potential to make a meaningful and lasting impact in the field as a champion for social, economic, racial, and environmental justice."
-Assistant Professor of Social Work Dieuveut Gaïty, MSW, PhD