Candace Watts is graduating from California State University, San Bernardino with a master’s in social work. A Title IV-E Program recipient, Candace chaired the Welcome Committee for the 2022 CalSWEC Title IV-E Summit and was voted this year's Title IV-E Summit All-Star student. She is currently completing her advanced-year internship in child welfare at Children Services for Riverside County, where she provides family reunification services. Candace is passionate about social work because it is a profession that values service, competence, social justice, dignity and integrity, the worth of a person, and the importance of human relationships–all values that are in alignment with her personal principles. Her journey to the social work profession has been circuitous, but along the way she has found inspiring people and experiences that have given her new perspectives and have motivated her to become the person she is today.
Candace received her bachelor’s degree in Sociology from California State University, San Marcos in 2010. Feeling adventurous after graduation and motivated by the desire to learn new languages and travel the world, she found an opportunity to teach English abroad through the BEDA Program, and became a cultural ambassador at private schools in Madrid, Spain. “I lived in Spain for three years and had the time of my life, becoming fluent in Spanish and exploring the neighboring countries in Europe,” recounts Candace.
Volunteering for an international non-profit organization called Seeds of Hope in Costa Rica during the summers in 2011 and 2012 ultimately propelled Candace to embark on her journey to become a social worker. While in Costa Rica she met a community of families deeply affected by generational poverty, substance abuse, neglect, sexual exploitation, child labor, and gang violence. Candace was shocked by the lack of resources and education available to this community. Working with the founder at Seeds of Hope she connected with Costa Rica’s child protective services (PANI) to provide intervention for this community.
“My role as a shelter support volunteer and clubhouse coordinator had allowed me to work closely with young girls who had experienced trauma and many forms of maltreatment, and provide them with food, resources, and emotional support,” says Candace. This experience has inspired her to pursue an MSW and a career in child welfare. She believes that working in child welfare will give her an opportunity to help children and families who often suffer from adverse circumstances, and that given the right resources and tools a community can take the steps to transform their lives.
While researching the child welfare field, Candace learned about the CalSWEC Title IV-E Program through a colleague. She contacted Title IV-E Program graduates working in child welfare agencies and spoke with child welfare social workers by phone and in person to learn about their experiences and gain insight into the reality of working in the field. She saw their passion and dedication to their work and was convinced that she was making the right choice. Encouraged by her twin sister Maria who was pursuing her own MSW, Candace applied and was accepted to the Title IV-E Program. She states, “I may have never considered doing child welfare social work if it was not for the Title IV-E Program.”
“The most challenging part of being a graduate student is balancing your time and staying organized,'' says Candace. “I was wearing many different hats as I managed being a student, an intern, a volunteer, as well as working a job, maintaining relationships with your friends and family, and somehow finding time for yourself in between.” She has learned to keep moving forward one small step at a time. The most rewarding part of being a graduate student has been those moments of revelation and enlightenment from connecting the dots between in-class materials to the real world situations. “I love having the ‘aha!’ moments when I recall something I’ve learned in class while I’m in the field,” declares Candace. “Moments when education comes to life and starts to connect. It proves to me that I truly have been learning new things that are useful and applicable.”
For her senior thesis, Candace and her colleague are conducting a research study exploring the motivation behind why former foster youths become child welfare workers. Their study aims to understand what inspired some former foster youths to obtain employment in the child welfare setting. Their study’s preliminary findings reveal that many former foster youths decided to work in child welfare to improve the system. The data also shows that former foster youths have a unique ability to understand their clients better than other workers in the field who don’t have lived experience in child welfare. Former foster youths are able to build rapport and connect better with their clients because their understanding comes from their own first-hand experience in the child welfare system. The results of the study will be available from the Pfau Library ScholarWorks database (https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu) at California State University, San Bernardino after July 2022.
In addition to all her graduate work and internships, Candace found time to join the Planning Committee for the CalSWEC Title IV-E Summit and chaired the Welcome Committee this year. The experience challenged her to grow in positive ways over the last two years. “It was awesome being on a team with people who were so passionate about child welfare and dedicated to our project,” says Candace. “I felt connected to everyone even though all of the planning occurred online and it was amazing to see how the final event turned out after months of planning together. I was inspired by the other student volunteers whose passion showed through their commitment to see the project through, even during the pandemic.”
Life is busy for Candace. With school, work, internships, and volunteering all demanding her time and energy, how does she keep herself centered and healthy? Self-care is very important to Candace. She has always found the time to continue doing the things that keep her mentally and physically healthy, and make her feel good–working out in the gym, going out dancing, and being with family and friends. She’s learned to adjust, be flexible and implement self-care in practical ways that work best for her schedule. “I am a fitness and Latin dance instructor in my spare time!” reveals Candace. “I teach salsa dance lessons locally and enjoy dancing as another way to keep my body moving.”
When asked if she has any parting words of wisdom for the incoming Title IV-E students, Candace says, “Embrace the experience and take advantage of the opportunities to learn and make connections with others in the social work field. The other piece of advice is the one I received from my seminar professor Dr. Evans: Look for someone who can be your mentor throughout your professional career once you graduate.”
