DSW CANDIDATES

April Edmonds is a full-time certified social worker with the Department of Veterans Affairs and a PRN social worker with Baptist Healthcare Systems and has a passion for helping veterans and people of all backgrounds. April specializes in medical and clinical social work, including various therapies and treatment modalities, psychopathology, substance abuse, individual and group counseling, mental health, and assessment and treatment planning. April’s current role also includes providing case management services, which allows her to connect at-risk clients to needed services and/or resources when applicable. April is a current board member of RadioLex, a non-profit radio station that helps bring communication in over 50 languages to underserved communities in Lexington, KY, and surrounding areas. April is highly motivated and goal-oriented to contribute to the betterment and well-being of marginalized populations. Due to April’s ongoing passion and commitment to the field of social work, she is currently a doctoral candidate pursuing her Doctorate of Social Work at the University of Kentucky, with an expected graduation date of May 2023. While in her doctoral program, her research has focused on mental health disparities, especially among women of color, and ways society can address this ongoing need. April also serves as the secretary of UK’s student chapter of the Association of Black Social Workers. April obtained her MSW from the University of Kentucky in 2015, and her bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism in 2005 with a double minor in Spanish and Sociology. April is a member of Phi Alpha, social work’s national honor society, and Sigma Delta Pi, the national collegiate Hispanic honor society. April enjoys networking with individuals across all professions and walks of life to gain a new perspective of ongoing needs and ways she can help advocate for change.