Online program supports student’s passion for helping others

UT’s Social Work program shapes veteran’s path

Discovering a passion can transform a person’s life. Through years of service in the armed forces and teaching yoga, Latoya Ewert found her passion – to improve the lives of others. Her mission was to pursue that passion as part of her career. Despite obstacles, Ewert succeeded because of her perseverance and through continuing education.

After leaving the military, Ewert was an employee of the Department of Veteran Affairs, working on a suicide prevention team. Seeing the devotion of her colleagues to the veterans they served motivated her to pursue ways to help people in need. She felt the social workers were genuinely getting the job done in the outreach field, so she decided to become one.

Ewert wanted to enroll in a master of social work program online so she could continue working as a licensed yoga instructor while going to school. After researching several programs, she chose the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s online MSSW program.

“I really wanted to attend UT because of its social work program,” Ewert said. “I could not find any other program that truly matched my needs and expectations.”

In addition to her interest in learning, Ewert brought mindfulness to the program. As a licensed yoga instructor, she understood the importance of self-care while managing existing and new responsibilities. She developed a project about educating social workers to use mindfulness in anti-oppressive practice and encouraging them to use mindfulness tools in their regular clinical practice. During another presentation, Ewert highlighted how mindfulness can create a calm and safe space for reflection.

Support is crucial for all students to succeed, especially those pursuing a degree while working full-time. For Ewert, that support was critical after a medical emergency. During her course of study, she was admitted to the hospital with a pulmonary embolism. Many students may have given up after going through such a traumatic event. However, Ewert and her professors worked together so she could continue studying while recovering. The overwhelming support from everyone in the College of Social Work who was there to answer questions or lend an ear was vital to her success in completing her MSSW degree.

“The program truly does live and embody the social work core values of service, social justice, dignity, and worth of the person, the importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence,” Ewert said.

Ewert graduated in 2020. Today, she works for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a consumer complaint coordinator. She is a member of the FDA Committee for the Advancement of Clinical and Scientific Education (CACSE). Her job involves providing and coordinating training opportunities for medical officers, nurses, and pharmacists. Ewert has also used the knowledge from her master’s program to create and lead training programs on dealing with complex and stressful situations. She has written articles for her workplace focusing on mental health, wellness, and mindfulness. Ewert continues her work with the Coalition of Black Social Workers (CBSW), which began while during school. She serves on the scholarship committee, which provides financial awards to students of African descent to help them achieve their social work education goals. She is an Ambassador Cohort in the CBSW, working as a mentorship specialist.