Pierre Social Work Trip

By: Ella Hancock

Road trip! Ten USF students taking the Social Poli cy class had the opportunity to take a trip down to Pierre for the Social Workday at the Capitol, accompanied by Social Work professors, Heath er Mileham and Kayla Hinrichs. Their day was jam packed with valuable learning experiences such as, sitting in on numerous committee sessions, both house and senate, witness committee discussions, listening to bills regarding proponent and opponent testimony, and viewing the voting process on whether to send the bill to the house or senate floor. Additionally, the students even had the chance to connect with other fellow social work students from Augustana and USD, followed by a Q&A session with former NASW-SD board members as well as a social work lobbyist. Danielle Minsaas, who is a junior majoring in criminal justice and political science/history major, recently added social work to her lineup of majors and has the end goal of being a part of legislation and be active in the government lens. Danielle, who jumped at the chance to go to Pierre with her classmates, shared that “Being able to sit in on the bills that were being discussed was very insightful, listening to the amount of preparation that is needed in order to correctly inform the committee members was noteworthy.” Heather Mileham, who has a background of al most 20 years in social work and is in her first year of teaching for USF, shares “They were excited to be able to take what we were learning in the classroom and see it happen in real life. That experimental learning piece can make it less intimidating and more realistic that they could actually do that kind of work.” Danielle defends this statement by stating her perspective, as a student, on the importance and benefit that time “in the field” can have on a prospective social worker; “It is hard to fully understand some of the materials that we are taught but being able to sit in on what truly goes on day to day is very beneficial. Some of the things that can be learned on a trip, like going to the capital, can’t be taught in a classroom.” As this trip received roaring feedback, amongst both professors and students, it seems to hint for the growth in these outings for students in all varieties of majors and hopeful career paths!