La Salle’s MSW program helped Xuleyka Ogiata, MSW ‘25, build a sense of community while getting practical experience.
Xuleyka Ogiata, ’25, gained real-world experience and created lifelong bonds as part of La Salle’s MSW program.
Xuleyka Ogiata, MSW ‘25, wanted a sense of community in her master’s program, especially after her time as an undergraduate was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. She got what she hoped for as a La Salle Master of Social Work (MSW) student, as well as so much more.
After speaking with faculty and a visit to campus, Ogiata was convinced that La Salle was the right place for her.
“One of the reasons why I chose La Salle was my conversation with the program director. He was able to explain how the cohort that just graduated, how close they were able to get, and how they built this mini family with each other,” she said. “That was something that sold me because I come from a very strong family background, and that’s what I like to put into my life as I’m growing up and going out into the world.”
This checked one of her most important boxes for graduate school and once she became an Explorer, the sense of community grew beyond just her cohort, as she connected with people from all over the University.
La Salle’s MSW program created an environment of constant learning for Ogiata and her fellow students, which included around 15 people whose ages and backgrounds spanned a wide range.
As well as the network she built, the faculty that taught her during her program, many of whom are still working, had unlimited benefits, she said. Having professors still in the field was particularly valuable in a field like social work, she said, due to the fact that things are constantly changing, developing, and adapting. It also gave the students a real-world insight into their future field. The faculty also continue to learn as their students do, she said.
“Having that lens and learning from someone in that way allows you to remember that you don’t just go to school and then you just stop learning and you’re just doing your job,” Ogiata said. “It’s a continuous cycle of learning and growing.”
When it came to their careers, faculty were upfront about how the way they practiced changed as social work evolved, that they had to adapt and make different choices as they gained more knowledge. This was helpful, Ogiata said, as it took the pressure off her and her classmates to be perfect right away.
For their students, faculty helped them with networking and sharing resources, as well as making sure that Ogiata and her classmates were getting the most that they could from their time at La Salle.
“I don’t believe I would have gotten that knowledge if I was anywhere else. I had faculty that were very honest about my approach and being like, well maybe you can tweak it this way, you’re on a good track but you could also do this,” she said. “That advice really propelled me and made me really excited about what the future held.”
On top of having professors who could give them a real-world insight into being a social worker, La Salle’s MSW program gave an insight into the various paths they could take in the field. Although she had always wanted to go into clinical social work, she was still able to learn about all the different areas.
“We all learned everything, which really prepared me personally,” Ogiata said. “It really helped me develop my skills in (all aspects), which prepared me to be a better clinician.” On top of the classroom learning, Ogiata and her classmates did field placements, meaning that they could go out and continue to expound on the skills they learned. This also provided another opportunity to explore and make decisions about all the areas of social work, and to make decisions about where they eventually specialize.
“It felt like we were all together, we were all learning, we were all just in this cycle of continuous learning and growing knowledge and skills of where we want to be in the future as social workers,” she said.
In the end, Ogiata has been able to maintain the feeling of community that was so important to her when looking for graduate programs.
“I really love this program. They really become my family, and I just didn’t think I would gain more family from my own back home,” the Maryland native said. “But we got so close, me, my cohort and my professors.”
–Naomi Thomas
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