Dylan Woloszczuk is excited that, for the next two years, she’ll be working as a child welfare caseworker for Children’s Corps in New York City. The psychology major will be working with Forestdale, the only child welfare agency headquartered in Queens, N.Y.
“Its perfection was made of its challenges,” says Woloszczuk. “Taking a child welfare casework position will really show me if I can be strong enough to deal with other people’s hardships, and whether I can be an effective support system for these people.”
Working as a social worker in a family-based foster care program will enable Woloszczuk to combine her interests in social justice and psychology. She will work closely with children of all ages who are placed into foster care, conducting home visits and making recommendations about a child’s safety and well being at family court hearings.
While she’s wanted to become a clinical psychologist since the ninth grade, Woloszczuk credits Haverford for honing her skills in the academic discipline of psychology, providing her opportunities to gain practical knowledge, and exposing her to a broad range of social issues related to race, class, gender, and ability.
“My psych inspiration and experience at Haverford was truly unparalleled because of the professors in the department, many of whom are clinicians themselves, and all of whom are incredibly intelligent and supportive,” she says.
Another defining experience for Woloszczuk was her CPGC-sponsored internship with Community Restorative Justice Ireland in Belfast, UK. The organization promotes nonviolent conflict resolution between community groups in Northern Ireland. As an intern she worked on issues of social inequality in the communities and also conducted research and wrote grants.
Woloszczuk hopes to carry those experiences into her new role as a social worker, and eventually plans to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology in the near future.
“Haverford, you knew when to hold my hand and when to push me over so I’d stand up on my own,” she says. “I’ll do my best to take those lessons with me.”
—Hina Fathima ’15
“Where They’re Headed” is a blog series reporting on the post-collegiate plans of recent Haverford graduates.