Victoria Hamilton, MSW ā19 (Photo by Christopher Soldt)
Headstrong, determined, and sassy are adjectives Victoria Hamilton, MSW ā19, uses to describe herself. Sitting across from Hamilton in a conference room in McGuinn Hall, a space too small to contain her infectious laugh, itās soon clear the adjective that best describes her is driven.
āIāve always known that I wanted to work with children and to be a counselor or a mentor,ā says Hamilton. Currently in her second year at the Boston College School of Social Work (BCSSW), Hamilton is a full-time macro student with a focus on Children, Youth & Families. She says BCSSW is equipping her with the knowledge, support, and tools to make good on her goal of becoming a disabilities advocate.
Hamiltonās path to BCSSW was circuitous. After graduating from the College of Charleston in South Carolina with a bachelorās degree in psychology, she worked as a nanny and preschool teacher, interned in the disability services office of her alma mater, volunteered at area childrenās hospitals, and took graduate classes at The Citadel. āI loved what I was doing in Charleston,ā says Hamilton, ābut I wanted to be in graduate school.ā She pursued child life specialist programs for several years before setting her sights on schools of social work. It was while waiting for word on her admission status that she had an epiphany. She was preparing and realized her true passion was advocacy work on behalf of those with disabilities.
Victoria Hamilton presenting at a TEDx Youth Event.
Hamilton knows what itās like to live with a disability. Growing up with cerebral palsy, she spent years overcoming the perceptions of classmates and teachers who doubted her potential. Like the high school guidance counselor who urged her to forgo her dream of attending the College of Charleston for a community college close to home. And she knows the benefits of having an advocate. āI didnāt need a push when I was younger,ā she says with a warm laugh, āI needed a path cleared and thatās what my mom did. My mom is my biggest advocate.ā
At BCSSW, Hamilton is busy putting her advocacy skills to work. She is doing her second-year field placement at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Ā assisting with the coordination of the Workforce Development Officeās . Designed for Bostonās underrepresented and underserved youth, this yearlong program introduces high school students to careers in health care and biomedical sciences through paid internships.
At Hamiltonās suggestion and under her guidance, the Workforce Development Office will soon pilot the Disabilities Inclusion Program (D.I.P.), expanding the Student Training Program to include the recruitment of students with disabilities.
āIt was Victoria who came to us with so much enthusiasm and insight, asking the question: What are we doing to serve students with disabilities?ā says Candace Burns, one of her two Dana-Farber supervisors. āThe principals of the schools we work with were thrilled,ā Burns says. āThere arenāt a lot of initiatives that are designed to reach out to high school students with disabilities for internship opportunities.ā
Working on the D.I.P. initiative has offered Hamilton a chance to do what she does best: identify opportunities for greater inclusion. āThese students with disabilities will also be college bound,ā she says. āIām not changing the model, because itās a fabulous model. But I want to recruit people with disabilities that can do the same work.ā
Hamilton is clearly coming into her own in the role of advocate. āIn addition to the D.I.P., Victoriaās providing college-readiness programming,ā says Rachada Hiranyaket, her other Dana-Farber supervisor. āIāve watched her develop trusted relationships with students, and she holds them accountable, which is great.ā
Hiranyaket and Burns say they have loved having Hamilton on their small team over the past several months. āItās nice to work with an intern who just gets it,ā says Burns.
Itās no surprise to Professor for Macro Practice Tiziana Dearing that Hamilton has hit the ground running. Dearing first met Hamilton last year in her Basic Skills in Macro Social Work course, and has become a trusted mentor. āVictoria has channeled her own experiences and her desire to be of service into her studies here at BC Social Work,ā says Dearing. āShe has tremendous clarity about the change she wants to seeāand beāin the world. Iāve been so impressed with how well sheās focused on building and practicing her skills to do just that while in our program. I believe however she decides to pursue that social change, sheāll succeed.ā
Hamiltonās not certain of her plans following graduation, but odds are high sheāll return to Charleston, the city she considers home. She says her BCSSW education has empowered her and sheās excited by the road ahead. āIn my classes here, Iāve really discovered that I have this voice,ā she says, āand BC has given me the tools to use it.ā