Master of Social Work

Julia's Career Journey

Julia Williams, LMSW (she/her) graduated in May 2006 and currently works as a School Social Worker at Alexis I. DuPont High School in Wilmington, Delaware, where she supports students’ social, emotional, and behavioral needs through daily check-ins, crisis intervention, and counseling support, while also connecting students and families to community resources and assisting with referrals. She also plays an active role in truancy tracking and interventions, serves as a co-lead for MTSS (Multi-Tier System of Supports), and helps identify barriers such as food insecurity, housing instability, and other challenges that impact student attendance and success. A typical day includes providing encouragement and emotional support to students throughout the school day, checking in with families who may need assistance, and reviewing truancy cases to ensure appropriate interventions are in place. Her MSW education at West Chester University, particularly her Human Growth and Development course, has been directly relevant to her work, as it strengthened her understanding of lifespan development and how it informs adolescent behavior, mental health, and decision-making in a school setting. She also notes that her understanding of development has been deepened through her personal experiences as a parent and caregiver, which have further reinforced how life stages impact emotional and behavioral needs. She manages stress by staying organized and flexible in a fast-paced school environment, taking short breaks when needed, and stepping away for walks to reset during the day, while also prioritizing self-care outside of work through time with her son, family, and friends, along with cooking, reading, and maintaining healthy boundaries to recharge. She encourages current students to embrace mistakes as opportunities for growth, set small and realistic goals, and focus on progress over perfection while remembering the importance of small, meaningful steps. Reflecting on her experience, she wishes she had slowed down more during her studies, and one of her favorite memories from the MSW program was the strong relationships she built with faculty, who created a supportive, family-like environment that helped students navigate the fast-paced program and reinforced the importance of strong support systems—something she now strives to provide for her own students.