After attaining her Master’s, graduate Zoe Gill is now continuing her career and helping people with a disability.
Zoe had been working in social work for 15 years before starting her Master of Social Work as a mature-aged student. She says a passion for helping people drove her to build a career in social work, and after more than a decade working in the field, she came to Griffith University to find the “something missing” in her career – further qualifications.
“What the Griffith learning has meant for me is to understand my place in the world and that gives me the confidence to then walk alongside my patients. By the end of that two years, I could confidently walk out with my Master of Social Work and find a place where I professionally belonged,” she says.
“The team-based learning approach at Griffith has really allowed me to understand not only what I can contribute to good practice as a social worker but leveraging off professions and clinical experts around me to make sure we can get the best outcome for the patient.”
Zoe says the support of her teaching team is what drove her to success: “My lecturers, tutors and convenors cared about me as a social worker would; they saw me, my whole life and my professional experience.
“If you meet them at their expectations, they will do anything for you, as they want good outcomes for their students. The cared about the outcomes I had.”
When she looks to the future, she sees one where she is even more equipped to deliver care to those who need it most, through her federal-agency role working with people with a disability.
“The great thing about studying social work is that I can contribute as an individual but also understand these really complex systems that create great change in people’s lives,” she says. It was incredibly important that I see the bigger picture.
“A barrier for people with a disability getting the help they need isn’t just accessing the system, but it’s also understanding how to navigate the system. It’s not easy. People can get lost and fall through the cracks.
“I’m the navigation point. I am the vehicle to get people the information they need, empower them and give them space to live their lives.”
If like Zoe you feel ready to take the next steps in becoming a voice for others, find out more about studying social work at Griffith University. If you’re already in the field, further your qualifications with our Graduate Certificate in Disability Inclusion.
Are you a Griffith graduate with a story to tell? Let us know by emailing [email protected]
