“I’m transferring to Augsburg University in the fall to pursue my Bachelor of Science in Social Work,” he said. “I’m hoping to end up in a field of social work that will allow me to work with youth and young adults.”
Morgan participates in Phi Theta Kappa at the college; he’s also Mental Health First Aid for Adults certified through the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.
“I have enjoyed the scholarships that I’ve received just being a part of PTK,” Morgan said. “There are so many organizations that require you to spend money to join that really don’t offer much back rather than just saying you’re part of it, but PTK has shown me the opposite of that.”
Morgan added that he earned his MHFA certification so that he would be more rounded out than other job applicants and better prepared for when he transfers to a four-year school.
“I was able to take the training for free last spring,” he reported, “which was when I also was facing my own demons and working through a lot in my life. I wanted to learn more about the things that I was going through. Since I’m going into the helping profession, learning how to not only help others, but also myself, is going to be a critical part of ensuring that I am well equipped for the social work profession.”
Morgan works while attending Inver as a server at Applebee’s, a job he’s held since October 2020. He puts in 20–30 hours a week.
When asked what advice he would give students trying balance school, work, and life in a very busy world, he said, “Give yourself enough time to not only accomplish all of the tasks ahead of you, but make sure you have time to relax and wind down. If you’re working all the time, but never taking any time to just do what you want for yourself, what is the point in doing any of it? Even if it’s just getting up and going for a walk, cherish that time you have for yourself.”
Social Work Month in March is a time to celebrate the great profession of social work. The theme for Social Work Month 2023 is Social Work Breaks Barriers.
During Social Work Month, take time to learn more about the many positive contributions of the profession. Use the items in our Social Media Toolkit for Social Work Month 2023 to celebrate all the social workers you know.
NASW is hoping you will take this month’s theme to heart and help bring awareness to the awesome, life-changing work social workers do by sharing your stories across NASW social media:
Learn more about how you can celebrate Social Work Month 2023 by emailing media@socialworkers.org.
About NASW
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world. NASW works to enhance the professional growth and development of its members to create and maintain professional standards for social workers, and to advance sound social policies.
Faculty perspective: Jill Grover, MSW, LISW
Jill Grover serves as faculty in the Pre-Social Work program. Jill considers Morgan one of her top students with a bright future in the social work profession.
“Morgan is a fantastic student and is going to be a great social worker someday!” she said. “He has a very strong work ethic and takes his learning very seriously. He has a great sense of awareness about himself, which is going to carry him far in the field.”
Jill reported that trained social workers are in high demand. “With the rise and growing awareness of mental health and social justice issues, our community needs more skilled and compassionate helping professionals now more than ever. Our Pre-Social Work Transfer Pathway curriculum boasts small class sizes and offers a variety of electives for a personalized learning experience tailored to the career goals of our students.”
Jill added that the program’s required internship experience also provides a way for students to put their learning to practice before graduating and entering the field.
“Social work is an expansive and diverse industry both in terms of the types of settings employing social workers as well as the kinds of client populations served,” she said, noting that social workers can be employed at numerous institutions and entities:
Hospitals/clinics
County/state agencies
Schools
Nonprofit social service agencies
Home healthcare agencies
Libraries
Police departments
Corrections agencies
Animal welfare organizations
Legal advocacy organizations
Immigrant/refugee resettlement organizations
Private practice therapy
Mental health and chemical dependency treatment facilities
And so many more!
Learn more about Jill Grover by reading her Inver Hills News story:
Originally from Highland Park, Minnesota, Morgan graduated from Two Rivers High School (Henry Sibley at the time), Class of 2021.
Morgan’s mom, Lisa, works at St. Kate’s in the Food Service department, and his dad, William, is a bus driver for a school district. Morgan has two younger sisters, Adilynn, 12, and Finley, 9. He also has a 12-year-old Maine Coon named Tongo.
Tongo
In his free time, Morgan enjoys playing video games. Some of his favorite story-driven, single-player games are God of War, The Last of Us, and Uncharted; his favorite fast-paced multiplayer games are Overwatch, Call of Duty, Left 4 Dead, and Grand Theft Auto.
Morgan likes discovering new music; his current rotation is Childish Gambino, JID, Ray Vaughn, 21 Savage, and Jakob.
He also enjoys playing with Tongo, working out, hanging out with friends, spending time outdoors, finding new movies/shows to watch, learning new skills, and thrifting anything involving clothing and fashion.
Morgan resides in West St. Paul.
Morgan family and life gallery
One word that best describes your experience at Inver Hills:
RESTART
Morgan Marvin • Q & A
Morgan Marvin
What inspired you to pursue a Transfer Pathway A.S. in Pre-Social Work at Inver Hills?
When I was growing up, my family did not always have the means to support me financially or emotionally in the ways that I needed. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that so many others share that continuing struggle.
The chance to become someone who can do so much good and help others that struggle with the same issues I did—or worse—is something I feel will fulfill me while allowing me the opportunity to be become the best version of myself.
What do you find most engaging about your Pre-Social Work coursework?
How much the coursework applies to real-world scenarios. Since I started my internship, my eyes have been opened to just how much classroom learning can be applied to the real world, and that learning has helped me greatly to reevaluate my way of thinking as well as my approaches in my internship setting and my everyday life.
What traits and abilities do you have that can help make you a successful social worker?
I am personable and able to empathize with the struggles of many. People that have not struggled do not have the same understanding or relatability as those who have. Working with people/communities that are struggling allows me to put myself in their shoes, mainly because I have walked in them myself, something that I would consider an advantage.
Three words that describe you as a college student:
DETERMINED. HARDWORKING. OPTIMISTIC.
What area of social work interests you the most and why?
Working with youth and young adults. Either way you look at it, youth and young people are the leaders, business owners, parents, and building blocks for a better tomorrow.
They also tend to be underrepresented or not always able to express their needs and wants. Being able to work closely with that community would allow me to give them the voice and resources they need to not only be successful, but to also enact change in a world that seems so resistant to change.
What do you like best about attending Inver Hills?
The flexibility of my scheduling. Working to support myself on top of being a full-time student is not an easy task, but Inver’s flexible scheduling has allowed me to do both. I also enjoy how staff members are just so easy to talk to. They make me feel heard, which I think is very important.
What person has influenced your life the most and why?
My mother—she has been the one person throughout my life who has taught me so much about how the real world works. Ever since I was little, she showed me the reality of life as it really is. She has sacrificed so much for me.
Where do you hope to find yourself in 20 years?
I hope to find myself somewhere stable surrounded by people who love me, in a place where I can look in the mirror and say that the man I see has done something to make the world a better place.
Morgan Marvin • 12 Answers
Favorite sport or physical activity: Gaga/gagaball
Place you would most like to visit: Kauai
Most exciting thing you’ve ever done: Vacationed in Florida when I turned 18 without family along
Three things you would do if you won a $1 billion lottery: 1) Pull my family out of poverty and begin investing to build generational wealth for my family and myself 2) Cure my mother’s Grave’s disease 3) Pay for my sisters’ schooling if they choose to attend college
Best book or movie you’ve read or seen lately: The Whale
Time period (past or future) you would explore if you could time travel: The 31st century so I can see what the world would be like 1,000 years after my lifetime
One thing you most want to accomplish in your life: Have a family of my own one day
Your national bird if you were your own country: Blue jay
Dream occupation: Owner/CEO of my own social work agency
Person you would most like to meet: Donald Glover
Skill you would most like to learn and master: Becoming bilingual in the Spanish
Most important issue or problem facing humankind: Global pollution
Social work belongs to the field of human services that focuses on meeting human needs by applying methods, practices, and technologies from a vast, interdisciplinary knowledge base. Problem prevention and remediation as well as improving quality of life are the primary objectives of human services professionals.
Why Study Pre-Social Work at Inver Hills?
Help where you’re most needed.
Use your knowledge, values, understanding, competence, and empathy to directly improve the wellbeing of individuals and communities by helping meet their basic human needs.
You believe everyone matters.
People dealing with difficult circumstances struggle to find fulfillment in life. As a social worker, you will fight on their side, using your experience and expertise to make a lasting difference in their world.
Adapting to change is your strong suit.
Social work never stops evolving. New emphasis has moved to prevention and early intervention. If you feel primed to apply your talent and drive to help solve serious social challenges in innovative ways, social work might be your calling.
Be the voice for the voiceless.
People at risk need real assistance and understanding the most. Trouble is they are often the last to get the support they need. As a social worker, you will have the matchless capacity to step up on their behalf and persuade society to stop, pay attention, learn compassion, and race to the rescue.
Are you up for the biggest challenges of your life?
No two cases are exactly alike. That’s one of the first things you’ll learn as a social worker. Solving shifting problems with grit and creativity will become your second nature. Helping change someone’s life for the better can be uncommonly rewarding, but also emotionally demanding. Your intelligence and fortitude will be tested—then again, that’s a big reason you chose this profession.
Join a fast-growing, high-demand workforce.
CAREERwise includes four social work-related occupations on a list of 50 careers expected to grow at a faster rate than other careers from 2016 to 2026: Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers (18.1 percent), Health Care Social Workers (14.0 percent), Social and Community Service Managers (12.3 percent), and Social and Human Service Assistants (12.0 percent).
Pre-Social Work Career Paths
Make a genuine difference in our world.
Due to the nature of the work, which involves direct contact with vulnerable individuals, job applicants are carefully screened for professional and personal qualifications. Employers seek applicants with relevant academic credentials, work experience, and a history of volunteerism.
Career Opportunities
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for social workers approached $52,000 in May 2020. Overall employment of social workers in the U.S. is projected to grow 12 percent from 2020 to 2030, faster than the average for all occupations.
More than 78,000 openings for social workers are projected each year on average over the course of the decade.
Assess and treat people who struggle with addiction to substances such as alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs.
WAGE
Mental health and substance abuse social work is a very high-wage career that pays well above the statewide median wage of $23.81/hour.
Minnesota
Median: $29.88/hour
High: $38.18/hour
Seven-county Twin Cities metro
Median: $30.03/hour
High: $38.62/hour
OUTLOOK
In Minnesota, there are 3,110 workers employed in this small career. This career is currently in very high demand and seeing high growth (growth rate 14.9 percent in U.S.) compared to other careers.
There will be a need for about 2,707 new Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers to meet market demand between 2020–2030. This includes the demand due to replacement (workers leaving the occupation or retiring) as well as growth.
Place you would most like to visit: Kauai
Your national bird if you were your own country: Blue jay
