CENTENNIAL SCHOLAR
How a Social Worker's Kindness Led this Student to Pursue her MSW Degree

Staronyata Davis, GSS ‘27, says a social worker brought light into her life as a child. That’s why she’s now entering her second decade working in social services, and why she’s come to Fordham to pursue a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree.

What’s more: Davis will earn her degree on a full scholarship, thanks to the Centennial Scholarship—a joint initiative between Fordham GSS and Catholic Charities.

The Scholarship, created in 2018, honors the two institutions’ 100-year collaboration to help New Yorkers in need and provides full tuition for an M.S.W. degree to the recipient. One student is chosen each year.

Davis started the M.S.W. program this August as a full-time student at Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus. We sat down with her to discuss the emotions of receiving this opportunity and what she hopes to accomplish after graduation. 

What does your current job look like day-to-day basis?

I’m currently a case manager at an organization called Good Counsel Homes in the Bronx. We basically deal with [unhoused]women who are pregnant or have small children, and they’re battling different ages and stages in life. 

When we do get them in, first of all, we get them housed. We have about 13 rooms in this particular building. And our moms learn basic skills. A lot of them don’t know how to cook or manage the household. A lot have more than one child under five years of age.

We’re here to assist them—connect them with training, services, entitlements, all kinds of parenting classes, whatever it is that that mom needs at that time, we meet the need.

Do you enjoy it?

I love it. I love the mission. I’ve been working in social services for 20 years. I’ve worked in homeless shelters for males, and I’ve worked with adolescents. This has been my passion because I’m a child who had a social worker.

When I came across Good Counsel, it brought me back to when I was a young mom, and I thought, I can’t believe they provide all of this help. So I found home.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned from your career so far?

Learning how to meet people where they are. Because sometimes you want more for a person than they want for themselves, or sometimes we judge — but just meeting a person where they are, figuring out what we’re going to do next, and not making them feel discouraged or bad about their past [is important]. It’s something that I take pride in, connecting people to services. I love building connections. 

Will you be staying at your current place of employment while pursuing your MSW?

Yes, but I’ll be working in another program called Exodus, and it deals with our moms who have transitioned out of the [housing]program. But we work with them for their lifetimes, so even though they graduated, or they decided to leave, we still follow up with them, check on them, see what services we can connect them to. 

How have you enjoyed your MSW education so far?

It’s exciting. I’m not a machine, so I’m tired. It’s a wealth of information, but what is exciting to me is that I work closely with social workers already. So, a lot of times, there are doors that are closed to me as a case manager that I have to reach out to a social worker for, and I want to open that door myself. 

I first heard about [the Centennial Scholarship]last year, but I didn’t know if I was ready yet. But this year, when I received my evaluation, they told me I could apply. I was nervous. [I thought], I haven’t been in school in a long time, I don’t think I’ll get it.

So when I finally got that [acceptance]email, and they told me I received the scholarship, I called everybody I knew. It’s a great feeling. I’m fortunate.

What other reasons motivated you to pursue your MSW at Fordham?

I’ve always wanted to be a social worker. As a child who had a social worker, I was in love with her. She would bring such light to the home. She would always provide a resource or something to make us smile. 

I [also]had my five-year-old child maybe two blocks over from the Lincoln Center campus [at Mt. Sinai hospital]. When I was walking by [Fordham’s campus], I was like, When I’m ready to get my MSW, I’m gonna go here. Life has a way of surprising you. It’s so exciting.

Things are just connecting for me right now. I really feel supported. I feel safe. [Fordham faculty and staff] are rooting for us, and I appreciate it. The amount of support that I’ve received thus far is just mind-blowing to me.

How do you manage balancing work, school, kids, and everything else?

I breathe. And my other children are older, so they do help me. I do have the support, which is great, too. That’s why now is a great time to do it.

Do you have any advice for anyone who is interested in working in the social services field?

Be open-minded. Be welcoming. We don’t know everything, right? And I didn’t think I knew everything before entering the program, but it just shows me you have to be willing to learn. Be willing, be diligent, and people will surprise you.

And be kind to yourself. How can you serve others if you’re not? Know that you’re human. Because they say therapists need therapists, right? Know when that time is, and find your outlets.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.