Yuma’s Northern Arizona University social work program sees highest number of students in program in years
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Yuma’s Northern Arizona University says it has seen the highest number of students in their social work program in years. NAU Yuma says this is their second biggest class ever, and they're already looking at next year as the largest class ever. They say social work is more important than ever before.
“I feel an incredible sense of pride to see my students out there working in the community and taking all the knowledge that they’ve gained here and putting it into practice," said Kara Ahearn NAU Yuma BSW program coordinator.
The school says it saw a drop in enrollment after the pandemic but now the program has more than doubled in size, including international students traveling here to join.
The program coordinator has been involved in social work for 18 years. She says the program growth is important especially with the shortage of workers in our area.
"We’re very under resourced. We're very under served in this community and having professionals that have the passion that can also be combined with the formal education and also the level of rigor we have in our program with the internship requirements really I think is the key ingredient to creating a really robust and effective workforce,” said Ahearn.
And one way students do this is by going beyond the classroom walls and getting involved in the community. Students work on projects together to make some positive changes in Yuma.
If you’re interested in learning more about the program, NAU will have a career showcase November 13th for people to learn more about social work careers.
