Inspirational Social Workers
- Alberto Godenzi
- Larry E. Davis
- Georgette Mulheir
- Celia Williamson
- Maurice C. Daniels
Entering the field of social work offers the opportunity to do great good in your local community and abroad. Social workers contribute to society with a range of services. They are often the forefront of social change and involved in the beginning of grassroots movements that advocate for human rights, social justice and seek to eliminate inequality. These five individuals have made inspiring changes in the world utilizing their field of social work.
Alberto Godenzi
Godenzi has worked all over the world studying the underlying causes of domestic violence. Focusing on women and children, he seeks to end abuse and promote equality between the sexes. He is currently a professor of social work at Boston College where he conducts research and edits academic journals. He has published several books on violence against women and children through the social work lens in a variety of languages.
Larry E. Davis
With his PhD in social work, Davis has been systematically smashing race relations barriers since the early days of his career. After obtaining his degree from the University of Michigan, he worked with the impoverished on the streets of New York City. His research centers around enlightening conversations on race, ethnicity and color in America and has produced numerous practical results. Davis is the founder of REAP and the Center on Race and Social Problems. He is the author of seven books on the subject of navigating a society that does not treat all races equally. He is currently the Dean of the School of Social Work at Washington University.
Georgette Mulheir
For Mulheir, social work is a family profession. Her mother was a social worker in their small English town. From an early age, she advocated for human rights through volunteer work. After college, her career veered toward helping children live in stable homes even when orphaned. She currently works to take down orphanages that treat children as less than human and have them placed in more family oriented living situations. She is the chief executive of the international organization, Lumos, a nonprofit dedicated to the deinstitutionalisation of children founded by children’s author J.K. Rowling. She has published four well regarded books on the topic of children’s rights.
Celia Williamson
Williamson has made a big impact on her local community in Toledo, Ohio. She uses her doctorate in social work to tackle the difficult issue of human trafficking. Williamson’s work in her capacity as a researcher at the University of Toledo contributed to legislation that made trafficking women and children more difficult and imposed harsher penalties on the perpetrators of these crimes. She has organized the International Human Trafficking, Prostitution and Sex Work Conference for over a decade. She is also the chair for the Lucas County Human Trafficking Coalition, which provides help and rehabilitation to survivors of human trafficking. Williamson continues to do important research at her university and push Ohio law makers to improve existing trafficking laws.
Maurice C. Daniels
Daniels has worked hard for decades to promote equality in the state of Georgia. During his time at the University of Georgia, he created a masters program in the field of social work, opening up several social work teaching jobs. He also founded the Athens chapter of Habitat for Humanity. He has worked tirelessly most of his life to promote civil rights. At his university he cofounded the UGA Black Faculty and Staff Organization and established several departments and organizations within the school focusing on African American and minority studies.
Obtaining a degree in social work opens up the possibility of launching a career with just as much potential to do good as these five amazing people. If you have a desire to make a difference in the world, a degree in social work may be just what you are looking for.
Related Resource: Top 10 Best Online Social Work Degree Programs
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