Help a Social Worker Fund Grad School at Simmons

Hi, my name is Cherish Casey. I am a first-year graduate student at Simmons University studying Social Work. Simmons gave me a Future Leader scholarship that will be dispersed over eight semesters. As a first-generation college student, navigating loans and financial support for school has always been challenging. I am thankful for Simmons's support so far, but I still need to raise more money to complete my program. I need your help.

Let me tell you a little bit more about myself. I am a single mom with a three-generation household in Boston, MA, that consists of my chronically ill mom, my 11-year-old son, and me. The desire to further my education in social work comes from my personal experience as a single mom and witnessing my mother's struggles raising me. We have faced many health issues, mental health crises, housing instability, etc. We didn't always have someone to point us in the right direction, but we made it through. I never gave up on pursuing my education and being an example for my son.

I have always been drawn to ways to make a difference in my community. My professional experience in social work and related fields has confirmed that I am a social worker at heart. I started as an early childhood teacher working in inner-city communities like Lynn and Boston. In the classroom and my current role at Ellis Early Learning, I've witnessed many families needing support to meet their child's academic needs. Families were facing housing, food, and mental health crises. They also had DCF involvement, needed help overcoming addiction, and struggled with the incarceration of family members.

While studying for my Bachelor's in Social Work, my internship was with the Essex County Community Organization, where I learned about the power of people to fight for change through community organizing. I worked in this role for two and a half years as a racial justice organizer, working with families and advocating for systemic change. My degree from Simmons will allow me to reach more families, using my professional, personal, and educational experiences and my understanding of clients and the systems they need to work with. I will be a social worker who will make a difference. Any financial support, large or small, will assist me on my grad school journey and will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.