Tessy Pachner, who received her PhD from the University of Kentucky College of Social Work in December, was among those social workers who answered the call to help as a wave of refugees from conflict-ridden countries including Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan arrived in Europe in 2016. A native of Germany, Pachner had just completed a master’s of social work program in the U.S. and returned home to help some of the more than one million refugees and asylum seekers acclimate to their new surroundings.

“My first job as a social worker was with unaccompanied minor refugees, mainly from Syria, who fled during the crisis,” Pachner said. “I saw how these teenagers and young adults had a lot of struggles and a lot of successes. That kind of sparked my interest–what else can we, as social workers, do to help?”

That spark would lead Pachner to return to her studies and pursue a Ph.D. at the University of Kentucky College of Social Work. “I chose UK because everyone was very interesting. They made sure I had a support system, and there were assistantships available,” Pachner said. Having the opportunity to learn from researchers who had worked with refugee populations was also a big factor in her decision.

Under the guidance of UK College of Social Work faculty, Pachner developed a practical skillset and confidence that can be readily applied in her future work. “The teaching practicum really helped me prepare for being an educator and figure out my teaching philosophy,” Pachner said. “The research practicum helped me understand how research works. It was my first experience doing actual research and it definitely set the foundation for my dissertation process.”

Pachner’s research continued her focus on understanding how to help refugees become comfortable in their new environment, find employment, and thrive in their new community. Specifically, she looked at what support systems help refugees in Germany find jobs, including the differences in employment attainment by men and women refugees.

After graduating with her PhD from UK College of Social Work in December, Pachner plans to return to Germany and use her degree for both research and fieldwork.

“I really want to pursue my passion of doing research with the refugee populations, but I also would like to find a job as a social worker so I keep my practice experience,” Pachner said. “Research is a lot about numbers and it’s also more behind the scenes, but I still want to be at the front and helping people.”

Hannah Kleinman already knew her place was in social work when she signed up for the online master’s program at the University of Kentucky College of Social Work—but the opportunity presented by her field experience gave her a new mission, and the skills to pursue it.

“Social work was a perfect culmination of every passion that I’ve had,” Kleinman said. After receiving her bachelor’s in sociology from UK, Kleinman decided to pursue a master’s in social work through the online program, which allowed her the opportunity to work while taking classes. “Every professor was really helpful and encouraged me to try different areas within social work,” she said of her experience in the program.

Kleinman credits the field education practicum with exposing her to different populations and helping her to understand which area of social work would be the best fit for her skills. Practicums are supervised, hands-on experiences where students apply what they learned in the classroom through working with individuals, families, small groups, organizations, and communities. Kleinman, who initially went into social work to support children in foster care, realized after a six-month practicum that she wanted to explore a different path. Then, she came across the opportunity to intern at UK’s Albert B. Chandler Hospital.

“I hadn’t realized there was crossover between social work and the medical field,” Kleinman said, adding that the role of a hospital social worker often flies under the radar as they coordinate post-surgical care, connect patients to resources, and assist with appointments for those who may not have outside support from friends and family.

“During my yearlong practicum, I shadowed two different women who were so passionate about their job and very knowledgeable. I felt like I was getting the complete view of what working at a hospital could be,” Kleinman said.

The days were long and there were difficult moments, but Kleinman said the work was motivating and knowing she was able to help people made it worth it. “I had a family tell me they were so grateful for people like me and having social workers in the hospital. That moment was really impactful because I felt like I’m just the student coming in and learning the ropes, but to have people pulling me aside and telling me how meaningful the work was made me see the position in a completely different light.”

Kleinman graduated in December with her MSW degree and is eager to put her new degree to work in her new role as a medical social worker at a hospital in Florida. She is thrilled to step into the position—and credits her time at UK College of Social Work with preparing her for success.

“During the interview process, I talked to a lot of different hospitals, a lot of different places, and I felt so prepared,” Kleinman said. “Grad school has been such an amazing experience, and I felt like I have never excelled more in my life. I think it gave me an extreme confidence boost that I had finally found what I was good at and what I was meant to be doing.”

After moving to the United States mid-career, Irina Osmolovska was looking for her next step. Born and raised in Belarus, Osmolovska has two small children at home, one of which has special needs. She knew she needed a flexible career that would allow her to care for her family, and she wanted to maintain a connection to the medical field, where she had worked previously. After some research, she found social work to be the perfect fit.

In 2020, Osmolvska, then based in California, looked at several schools before deciding to enroll online at the UK College of Social Work. “The communication from UK was amazing. My papers were tricky because my degree is in a foreign language, and it was almost impossible to get transcripts because of the COVID lockdowns. But they did extra steps and were patient. It was the combination of hearing a lot about the program and my personal experience that made the decision,” Osmolovska said, adding that UK Social Work’s coursework was essential for helping her to understand the U.S. system and social work structure.

Mid-degree, Osmolvska and her family moved to Nevada. Then, the pandemic disrupted her planned field education practicum. “My original practicum was working in the behavior health part of a hospital, but they closed down completely for a few weeks due to the virus,” she said.

Osmolvska reached out to the field education team for help finding a solution and was offered an opportunity to work on aging research under the supervision of Dr. Allison Gibson at the Sanders Brown Center on Aging.  Still, she was hesitant to try something so far out of her comfort zone. “Research was not my field, and I never really enjoyed it,” Osmolovska said.

She decided to push ahead and give the work a chance. Doing so changed the course of her social work career. “I ended up having two semesters with Dr. Gibson and I liked it so much. Even though I was in the online program, it felt personal because it was real people from the faculty guiding me.”

By working with older populations and veterans through her field education experience, Osmolovska realized she wanted that to be the focus of her future career path. The work, she says, is near and dear to her heart—and it has the advantage of allowing her to spend time with her family.

“My husband’s job requires a lot of traveling, so I never was able to find a full-time job just because of that. My daughter might never live independently and the opportunity for flexibility is a benefit.” Osmolovska said. “This is the plus of a career in social work.”

Irina Osmolovska graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Social Work with a Master of Social Work degree in December 2022.

At 3 a.m., James Watts found himself awake and at work treating a patient who had attempted suicide. Watts, a mobile crisis team member, had been engaged in emergency mental health interventions at ERs, regional facilities, and treatment homes for years. But this time was different.

“I have seen thousands of people in my career—assessed them, hospitalized them, treated them. And I was kind of curious, after treating people who have had depression for so long, what was the difference in this guy’s life that motivated him to try to end it,” Watts said.

A husband and father of three daughters, Watts is a Marine Corps Veteran and has served in Veterans Affairs for more than a decade. But that night and the question of “why” gnawed at him. He spoke about the issue with those around him, from his wife to his colleagues. Their advice? Answer the call and return to school.

Still on the fence, Watts took a class at the University of Kentucky College of Social Work to see if the Ph.D. program would be a good fit. “That’s how they get you!” Watts said. “I felt welcome the first day.”

As a midlife learner returning to the classroom, Watts credits his support network with his success. From his mentor in the Ph.D. program to his dedicated advisors and his wife, Watts had the help he needed to get through the rigorous coursework and long days.

Through his research, Watts explored rural veteran suicide. He examined the differences between the personalities and methodologies of urban and rural veterans that die by suicide. For Watts, who calls the Eastern Kentucky coal fields home, the mission was critical.

A key focus of his study was been looking at the culture of guns in rural areas as it relates to suicide. Guns have a high degree of mortality; 85 percent of suicide attempts with a firearm end in death. Watts believes more research into understanding this issue is crucial for prevention. “As a clinician, we may be able to intervene earlier and not only prevent suicide but also diminish the suffering that comes before suicide,” he said. “Research feeds clinical care–how we do what we do when we do it.”  

Watts was recently promoted to Associate Director for VA Lexington Health Care which includes Central Kentucky and the Eastern coal fields. And, as of December 2022, he was able to add “Dr.” to his title.

“Twenty-five years after I received my master’s degree from the University of Kentucky, I received my Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky. As always, my wife was right,” Watts said.