LEXINGTON, Ky. — Shauntenette Telepak has held many roles throughout her life—Army veteran, mother, foster and adoptive parent, social worker. This May, she will add another: doctoral graduate.
The path that led her to social work did not begin in a classroom. It began with her mother’s childhood in foster care and deepened over years of her own service in the U.S. Army and later within her family and community.
This May, Telepak will graduate from the University of Kentucky College of Social Work with a Doctorate in Social Work (DSW), bringing with her a perspective shaped as much by lived experience as by academic pursuit.
“Earning my DSW is a milestone accomplishment for both me and my family,” Telepak said. “As a first-generation doctoral candidate and now recipient on both sides of my family, I see this achievement as a legacy of possibility and perseverance.”
For Telepak, the decision to pursue social work was a gradual realization. After leaving the military and raising a family, she began to recognize the broader systems shaping—and, at times, limiting—the outcomes of both her own experiences and the communities she cared for.
“Witnessing firsthand the immense need for support beyond my own household, I realized that my impact could extend far beyond my front door,” she said. “That experience fueled my passion to pursue social work and be part of change in a broader context.”
Her years in the Army, she said, offered a foundation that translated naturally into social work. “Serving required me to give up so much of myself for the greater good,” Telepak shared. The discipline, selflessness and sense of collective responsibility required in military life mirrored many of the same values she would later find in her social work education.
That foundation culminated in her ACE-approved capstone research presentation on Tuesday, April 28, during the Virtual Showcase of DSW Scholars. Her work explored the implementation of a federally mandated, comprehensive sex education curriculum in U.S. schools.
After graduation, Telepak plans to relocate to Rwanda before pursuing a Ph.D. in Human Sexuality. She aims to continue advancing research and developing curricula that support community education, protection and well-being.
Balancing academic work with family responsibilities and professional commitments was not without its challenges. Scholarship support from the College of Social Work Alumni Scholarship, she said, played a critical role in making that balance possible.
“This scholarship has made a significant impact on my life and academic goals,” she said. “It allowed me to focus on my studies and continue pursuing my dreams without the stress of financial burden.”
That sense of legacy, she said, is also about what comes next.
“At 51, earning this degree demonstrates that education is an open door, one that remains accessible regardless of age or stage in life,” Telepak said. “It’s a testament to the idea that it’s never too late to pursue your dreams, and I hope to inspire future generations of my family to embrace education as a transformative opportunity.”
