Austin Raines is an Appalachian native from Scioto County, Ohio, and a first-generation college student and graduate. He has an Associate of Arts in Social Science, a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, and a minor in Social Work from Shawnee State University. At the University of Kentucky, Austin obtained a Master’s in Social Work, concentration in Community and Social Development, and is a Doctoral Candidate for the Doctorate in Social Work, Social Work Education concentration. Austin is licensed as a Social Worker, certified in Chemical Dependency Counseling, Adult Education, and Textio: Interrupting Bias in Hiring, and a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Practitioner. In 2016, Austin received the Outstanding Graduate Award for his undergraduate degrees. In 2019, he was awarded the Outstanding MSW Student. Last year, the Ohio Department of Higher Education awarded him the Teacher of the Year. He also has won the Lavender Campus Ally Award twice.
Austin has nearly seven years of experience in education, with most in higher education; however, several years and experiences are in high school and adult education. At Shawnee State University, he is the Associate Director of Career Services, an Instructor, and currently assisting with the endeavor to offer a Bachelor of Social Work. In addition, he is a Career Navigator, Integrated Education and Training (IET), and High School Equivalency Instructor for Scioto County Aspire, and Adjunct Professor for the University of Kentucky’s College of Social Work.
His research interests include, but are not limited to, males and masculinities, intersectionality, various impacts on occupational choices, the gender wage gap, the glass slipper, escalator, and ceiling concepts, and work-home spillover. He firmly believes work either advantageously or adversely impacts home and vice versa; furthermore, the relationship between the two areas, once thought to exist in different realms, is more interwoven than ever. Thus, his capstone project, Removing the Masc: Dismantling Gendered Occupations through Social Work Education, evolved.
In 2022, Austin wrote a grant for IET funds through the Ohio Department of Higher Education and then developed and taught a Chemical Dependency Counselor Assistant (CDCA) Preliminary program. He assisted all students in obtaining certification and a job interview where each received an offer or promotion. He has also created curriculum at Shawnee State University for various courses, specifically Major Exploration and Career Planning. In addition, he teaches courses related to academic skills, life planning, experiential education, sociology, social work, and other general education. He authored two chapters related to careers and resume writing in the fifth and sixth editions of Shawnee: A Guide to Your First Year and Beyond.
Austin serves on various committees, is involved with numerous professional associations, and actively seeks learning and growth opportunities. He spends the majority of his time ensuring, “Each one, reach one. Each one, teach one. Until all are taught.” He believes education must be recognized as a right and an opportunity for economic and social mobility. Following the words: when you educate one person, you can change a life; when you educate many, you can change the world.