Roxanne Cordova, third-year MSW student at CSUDH, will serve as NASW-CA membership intern for the 2018-2019 school year. She will serve members across the state and work as part of the membership team on outreach, retention, and special projects.
The oldest of six children, Cordova’s passion has always been to make a change and to care for people. What motivated her to pursue a career in social work was working in the Department of Corrections, where she has worked for five years as a recreation therapist. As a recreation therapist she provides female inmates coping skills, recreational activities and socialization skills. Working with this population made her want to learn more and to make larger systemic changes. Because she had limited knowledge of mental health, she chose to go back to school to gain a better understanding and to expand her ability to help women in corrections with mental illness.
Attending the CSUDH MSW program provided Cordova an opportunity to learn about Critical Race Theory, the DSM, and evidence based practices to expand her knowledge. She said, “Interning for NASW is a great opportunity to explore nonprofit management, leadership skills, be part of advocacy at Lobby Days, and be a part of a grassroots organization that will give me the skills to be an amazing social worker.”
She continued, “I plan to take the skills and great experiences form my NASW internship to prepare me for my future in macro social work, advocating for the female inmates with mental health and be able to influence law and policy.”
You can reach Roxanne Cordova at RCLopez.naswca@socialworkers.org
