Pass Down Your Passion
Although over 40 years lie between the year Nancy Alexander MSW ’74 graduated and when Treneice Jackson earned her MSW in May, their shared passion for serving older adults inspired each to pursue careers working with aging populations. Since earning her degree from JACSW in 1974, Nancy has enjoyed a remarkable career working with the elderly in various organizations, eventually returning to JACSW in 1994 to continue her education, while at the same time becoming an adjunct and then full-time clinical professor in 2011.
Nancy knew she was meant to dedicate her life to serving older adults after first working for them in protective services with the United Charities of Chicago, Service for the Aged Department. She ensured proper daily and medical care for her clients, and credits this experience as one of the most influential of her career. “This experience was very important to me. I found I loved working with aging populations, mostly because of their life experiences—having lived through depression and world wars—they had so much inner strength and resilience. Working with these individuals satisfied my moral philosophical sense of helping others.” However, it was her time as a hospice social worker that Nancy describes as the most gratifying clinical experience of her life: “a lot of people, when they’re dying, their families can’t talk to them; they can’t talk to their families, so a social worker can become a very important source of strength and comfort. It is a very moving experience.”
Nancy’s passion for serving older adults, combined with her experiences teaching students at JACSW—experiences which she describes as the highlights of her career—inspired her to establish an endowed scholarship fund for JACSW students interested in working with the elderly, as well as an additional current use gift to award a scholarship in 2016. “Students have to struggle so much more now than when I received my MSW; tuition was cheap then, not now,” Nancy explains. She wanted to make it easier for students interested in studying this population to attend JACSW, simply because of the great joy and satisfaction Nancy experienced during her career in the same field. She is happy to know that another deserving student can now have that same experience.
This year’s scholarship recipient, Treneice Jackson, revealed herself to be one such deserving student. Not only does she share the same admiration and respect for older adults as Nancy, she has always known she wanted to work with geriatrics and the aging population. “In my work, I have learned that the elderly are incredibly resilient, strong, and independent,” Treneice shared. “They are not given a lot of the credit they deserve—they are amazing people and so very knowledgeable.”
Treneice is excited to be focusing her graduate work on community health and urban development, interning at Age Options in Oak Park, IL where she works to provide resources for the aging population, increases awareness of services they are eligible for, as well as doing community outreach, all with the goal of helping them live a safe and happy life within their homes. Nancy’s scholarship gift has provided Treneice with the resources needed to support her field placement work—“the scholarship has helped me pay for transportation to and from my internship at Age Options, as I live an hour away from the site.”
Treneice and Nancy had the opportunity to meet each other at the Dean’s Scholarship Dinner on November 12– where they spent time discussing their experiences in the social work field. Treneice enjoyed learning more about Nancy’s history, and her professional goals and accomplishments. “I was so grateful to have the opportunity to be in Nancy’s presence. She has a welcoming spirit and is very humble. I like that she believes in giving back to students,” Treneice shared. “I am so grateful to Nancy for her donation and to JACSW for the experiences I’ve had so far—my first semester here has had an incredible impact on me as a student and future social worker.”
Nancy also expresses gratitude to JACSW for the experiences it has afforded her, all of which led her to establish the scholarship fund in the first place. “I received my MSW here, and had a great life as a result. I love the mission of working with urban poor; it is something that has always motivated me. All of JACSW’s studies, research, and projects are in place to help suffering, disadvantaged urban populations. Jane Addams opened doors for me—I’ve been able to meet thousands of students who were earning their degrees and feeling equally as positive about social work.”
Nancy is pleased to know that her scholarship will continue to open doors for other aspiring social workers interested in serving the elderly. “I hope that this scholarship helps relieve students’ anxiety about getting a good, solid degree so they too can go out and influence older populations in a positive way.”