{"id":3097,"date":"2025-06-24T08:23:58","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T13:23:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.valpo.edu\/social-work\/?p=3097"},"modified":"2025-07-24T09:27:32","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T09:27:32","slug":"lesley-barajas-20-lmsw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-arts-and-sciences\/lesley-barajas-20-lmsw\/","title":{"rendered":"Lesley Barajas ’20, LMSW"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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During my time in the VU Social Work program, I experienced both personal and professional growth that deeply shaped the way I show up in my work and in the world. The program challenged me to think critically about systems, equity, and advocacy, and provided a strong foundation in trauma-informed, strengths-based practice. One of the most impactful aspects of the program was the small class sizes, which made it easier to build strong relationships with classmates and foster a genuine sense of community. I always felt seen, heard, and supported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The professors in the department played a huge role in my growth. They weren\u2019t just instructors, they were thought partners who encouraged reflection, challenged assumptions, and helped me develop a more nuanced understanding of social work practice. Their support and mentorship made a lasting impact, and I continue to draw on their insights in my current work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professionally, I\u2019m now working as a school social worker in a dual-language elementary school, where I provide social-emotional support to students and serve as a liaison between families, staff, and community resources. I find deep fulfillment in being a consistent, supportive presence for students. What excites me most is the opportunity to collaborate with a multidisciplinary team and advocate for systemic change that fosters equity and student well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prior to this role, I gained experience in a range of settings that strengthened my understanding of family dynamics, youth justice, and child development. I worked as a visit supervisor for Family House, where I facilitated court-mandated visits between children and their noncustodial guardians. I also spent time in a juvenile detention center, as well as another elementary school, which gave me valuable insight into how different environments shape youth experiences and needs. Each of these roles helped prepare me to meet students where they are with empathy, structure, and advocacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I carry the values and community I experienced in the VU Social Work program with me every day. The culture within the department modeled what it means to be part of a supportive, inclusive, and mission-driven team, and that has deeply influenced the kind of professional I strive to be.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During my time in the VU Social Work program, I experienced\u00a0both personal and professional growth that deeply shaped the way I show up in my work and in the world. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4534,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[54,53,60],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-work-alumni-spotlight","category-alumni","category-social-work"],"acf":[],"author_meta":{"display_name":"dev@eridesign.com","author_link":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-arts-and-sciences\/author\/deveridesign-com\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-arts-and-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/07\/ValpoCampus4-Resized-300x192.webp","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["Social Work Alumni Spotlight<\/a>","Alumni Spotlight<\/a>","Social Work<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Social Work Alumni Spotlight<\/span>","Alumni Spotlight<\/span>","Social Work<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 10 months ago","modified":"Updated 9 months ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on June 24, 2025","modified":"Updated on July 24, 2025"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on June 24, 2025 8:23 am","modified":"Updated on July 24, 2025 9:27 am"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-arts-and-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-arts-and-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-arts-and-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-arts-and-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-arts-and-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3097"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-arts-and-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3097\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4119,"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-arts-and-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3097\/revisions\/4119"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-arts-and-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4534"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-arts-and-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-arts-and-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-arts-and-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}