The Social Work Experience

Season 5 hosts Aviv, Veronica, and Xiuhxa introduce themselves and bring back podcast creators and season 1 co-hosts, Eric Garcia and Pancho Garcia to talk about the origin of the podcast and life since completing their MSW. Dr. Lee gives some words of wisdom for new students.

In our last episode of Season 4, we interview the co-founder of the podcast and SJSU MSW alum, Eric Garcia, before saying our final goodbyes. As a recent grad, Eric discusses his experience navigating the social work field and his motivation to return to SJSU to pursue a doctorate in educational leadership.

In this episode, we have a raw, honest conversation with two members of the Muwekma Ohlone tribe — Julie Dominguez, who holds the role of Community Education Chair for the tribe, and Joey Torres, who holds the role of Culture Bearer.Julie and Joey speak to the tribe's quest for federal recognition, what sovereignty means to them, the lingering repercussions of colonialism, what social workers and community members can do to support those whose land we occupy, and more. As you listen, we encourage you to reflect on what you can do to move beyond land acknowledgments and towards action.

In this episode, we interview two guests—Karen Mestizo and Wendy Kinnear-Rausch—working in child welfare in Santa Clara County. We discuss the successes and challenges that folx working in child welfare face and discuss the lenses from which Karen and Wendy approach their work. While their perspectives differ, both guests amplify the importance of working in partnership with children, youth, and families to improve child welfare services.

In this episode, co-hosts Ana, Britt, and Roberto speak with Stephen Burke about his experience treating individuals with Schizophrenic Spectrum Disorders in his role as the Director of 7th Avenue Center, an in-patient care organization in Santa Cruz, CA. Stephen has been doing incredible work in the field of mental health care and discusses the human-centered way he goes about treating both clients and staff.