Experience the Baylor Social Work Difference
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Description
What does it truly mean to experience the Baylor difference in social work?
Jordan Goodnature, Assistant Director of Enrollment Management at the Garland School of Social Work, shares her experiences in Waco, Texas, highlighting the city's small-town charm and Baylor's unique approach to education. She emphasizes the Baylor difference, from small class sizes to personalized mentorship, and shares inspiring student success stories. Jordan also offers a heartfelt look at the support and spirit that make this program feel like home.
Join us and consider what drives your own ‘why’ and how it can guide your journey in social work.
Transcript
SPEAKERS
Curtis Isozaki, Jordan Goodnature
Curtis Isozaki
Well, Jordan, I'm so glad that you're here to interview for our GSSW podcast.
Jordan Goodnature
Yeah, it's my pleasure!
Curtis Isozaki
And so we're here today together, talking about experiencing the Baylor difference in the Garland School of Social Work. I would love for everyone can be able to get to know you, Jordan. So would you be able to introduce yourself?
Jordan Goodnature
Yeah, 100%! So my name's Jordan Goodnature. I work here at The Garland School of Social Work. I think more importantly than that, I'm a Baylor alum. I graduated in 2018 and I loved it so much that I'm still here.
Curtis Isozaki
Love that! Just so that folks can get to know you a little bit and love to dive into some rapid fire questions. So our first Rapid Fire question, my tradition is, what is one word to describe Waco, Texas, which is where you live in right now?
Jordan Goodnature
Idyllic.
Curtis Isozaki
Idyllic.
Jordan Goodnature
Full stop.
Curtis Isozaki
Okay, full stop.
Jordan Goodnature
Yeah! That is my one-word mic drop moment.
Curtis Isozaki
We love it! Okay! So next Rapid Fire question, what is your go to order at your favorite coffee shop in Waco, TX.
Jordan Goodnature
Okay, so, I'm gonna do a chain because you can't get away from chain coffee, and I'm gonna do a local. So my favorite chain coffee is Dutch Bros. Every single Friday, I have a tradition with myself, no matter how late I'm running, where I go get a large iced salted caramel protein mocha. And I tell myself it's healthy because it's protein milk when it's also a lot of sugar, but we don't talk about that part. For Waco coffee, I love Be Kind. It's locally owned. It's really close to our campus here at the School of Social Work. Their churro latte with oat milk is one of my very favorite things, and they have really, really good bagels and they're also gluten free, which I don't need, but I love that they think about that it's like a worry free kitchen. So that's my favorite go to coffee.
Curtis Isozaki
I love that. I want one of those churro lattes right now!
Jordan Goodnature
It's so good!
Curtis Isozaki
But we love traditions! It's order that you have that you regularly are due, I admire that I want to channel that. Absolutely! Final rapid fire question, if you could instantly, instantly, keyword, instantly master any skill, what would it be?
Jordan Goodnature
So, I thought about this a lot.
Curtis Isozaki
Okay!
Jordan Goodnature
I think it's gonna be surprising. It's skateboarding.
Curtis Isozaki
All right!
Jordan Goodnature
I think it's the coolest thing. I bought a longboard when I graduated from Baylor. It is in my utility closet at home. But I think it's so cool, and I think it looks so fun. I've always wanted to be like a longboarder. So if I could instantly, so I knew I would not get hurt if I tried to do it, it would be skateboarding.
Curtis Isozaki
So longboarding, I was picturing like skate park vibes...
Jordan Goodnature
No not at all!
Curtis Isozaki
Like X Games, Jordan doing tricks.
Jordan Goodnature
No, I'm thinking like cruising, like a penny board stuff like that.
Curtis Isozaki
Love that. Well, Jordan, it's so fun to get to know you a little bit more. So we're gonna just kind of dive into what it looks like to experience the Baylor difference in social work and and the first question that we have is more focused on just our city, the university that we love Baylor. And so what? What? What is it like? Because you look back and your transition here to Waco, Texas. What? What was it like moving to Waco Texas and attending Baylor University for you?
Jordan Goodnature
Yeah. So like I mentioned, I've been here in Waco for 10 years,. So I did my entire undergraduate degree here, and then I've worked for this university that I love so much. As soon after I get right after I graduated, I started working for the University. I'm originally from, Fort Worth, which, if you don't know, is about an hour and a half away from Waco. If you asked me when I was 18 and making my college decisions, I would not have thought I'd be here for as long as I have been, but here I am, 10 years later, and I don't foresee myself being anywhere else. So just like Baylor is a medium-sized school, Waco is a medium-sized town. I was used to like a larger town with creature comforts, but now that I've been here, it's like the best of both worlds. So I have a Target where all my clothes come from. We have, I think, five Dutch Bros now actually, which is insane. A million Starbucks is just like everybody else, like the things you need to have, for me, a high quality of life. We're not stuck in traffic all the time. We have some really special small town, local gems, [and] some great locally owned restaurants and fun things to do. We kind of secretly have one of the largest municipal parks in the country, in Cameron Park, and my husband and I love to hike with our dog there. All of that to say, I think that Waco is just like this incredible perfect like 'Goldilocks' size, where you're not removed from any creature comforts or anything that you need, but you also have a little bit of a slower pace, and you get to experience some really cool things.
Curtis Isozaki
Love that. So how would you describe the Baylor difference, particularly in the Garland School of Social Work?
Jordan Goodnature
Yeah. So we summarize our mission like this: We value humanity, engage spirituality and promote equity, and those principles are embedded in the fabric of who we are as a school. So we know that social work is a passion-driven practice, and our job at the Garland School of Social Work is to equip your passion with the skills you need to go forward and change the world. And that's really just in everything that we do. And I think a great example of that is a space that is actually right outside of where we're recording. It's called the living room, and we call it that because that's where everyone, faculty, staff, current students, alumni, gathers for different things throughout the year. So we really don't have those distinctions that you might find in other schools where, oh, faculty don't talk to staff or graduate students don't talk to undergraduate students. We are all in this together to see each other succeed and ultimately go out into our communities and make a difference.
Curtis Isozaki
Yeah, I love that the Garland School of Social Work does have that feeling like it is home. It is a community, and there are spaces like the Living Room where people can show up and provide the gift of their presence. I love saying that. Like the best thing that any of us can provide is really the gift of our presence; and a part of a presence, what makes Baylor so unique, and particularly, [The] Garland School, is the kind of mentorship that takes place in the classroom and outside of the classroom with faculty and staff. There's the overall class size, like that's a part of the value of the Garland School of Social Work in Baylor. And so, how do small class sizes and mentorship opportunities enhance the student experience in the Garland School of Social Work?
Jordan Goodnature
I think this is, truthfully, one of the main things that set our program apart from other programs, is that we're so intentional about those relationships. We know that time is a finite resource, and to spend your time, and I mean spend, literally, as in money, to spend your time getting your degree. Here we want to make sure that's a good investment, and that we're investing in you as a person, and not just a student. So part of how we do that is with our intentionally small class sizes. Our average class size is 15, and we have a student-faculty ratio of 10-to-1. So that means you're getting to know your professors, and they are getting to know you. This can be as informal as just chatting after class. It can be as formal as pursuing a mentorship opportunity, but we have found that those one-to-one connections are the things that when students leave, they look back and they can say "this specific person impacted my journey [and] this specific person helped me find my job." We don't have time for all the success stories that come from things like that. So it's it's so important, and it happens naturally, and we also have, like, that mentorship program, things that we build in to help it happen.
Curtis Isozaki
Yeah, and so oftentimes, when I talk about, like, my role, and so many of our listeners and friends know that I love the opportunity to journey with students into the university at it and then from it, as they go and make that Baylor difference. So I know that you so value that as well, Jordan, and I love that and working with you and working alongside you. So could you particularly share a story of a student whose life or career trajectory was profoundly impacted by their time here in the Garland School?
Jordan Goodnature
Yeah, absolutely! So I am going to cheat a little bit and do two because I couldn't pick just one.
Curtis Isozaki
That's so great!
Jordan Goodnature
But for listeners who might know me in my previous life, I did work in Undergraduate Admissions at Baylor, and that was so lovely, and this transition to the Garland School of Social Work has been just so incredible and life giving, but what's been really fun is that continuity. So I have a handful of students who are in our programs who I've actually known them since they were juniors in high school. So to get to talk to them at that level and see how excited they are for social work and the passion they have for helping others in certain communities or their own home communities, and then seeing them now, like as these full-fledged adults going and doing these things, is incredible. So one of those folks, she just graduated with her MSW, and it was so cool because I knew she had graduated, and I didn't realize she had stayed for her MSW. We do a ton of, like, student events in the living room, and I help with those, and I was putting like, Fritos on a plate for a Frito chili pie or something, which I think is reason enough to come here. It was so good. But as I'm doing that, she goes, "Oh my gosh, Jordan!" I looked up and it was my student! I said, "it's so good to see you. I remember you. I remember your mom. Are you here for your master's?" and she's so excited. She's got a job lined up, I think by now that's already started. What's incredible is I'm going through these applications now, and I see her little sister's name on our roster. So she has gotten so many incredible opportunities, is going forth to be a social worker, and she loved her experience at Baylor so much that her little sister is now applying and she's also majoring in social work. So that's awesome. That's one. [The] Second is a student that I mentor, another student that I was his admissions counselor at that time, and I've gotten to come alongside just see how these policy classes have impacted him and informed the work that he wants to do. He's using his Bachelor of Social Work to actually go forth into law school. So this week and last week, I've been helping him with law school applications, and he's going to be a really competitive applicant because of the connections he's made at The Garland Schools. That's really exciting.
Curtis Isozaki
Love that so much! I remember when we first met something that really struck my heart and my excitement for wanting to move to Waco, Texas and be a part of this community, was this idea that during your time at Baylor, you realize that you found so strongly, as an alumni, that the world needs a Baylor...
Jordan Goodnature
Absolutely.
Curtis Isozaki
And then having gotten to know and be a part of the Garland School of Social Work, you had found that, man, the world really needs the Garland School of Social Work. So as you reflect on all the different students, like the ones that you mentioned, your stories are so dear and dear to your heart, Jordan, those are just two. You could have probably cool share - I mean, if you meet, Jordan, or you get the chance to hop on a call with Jordan, or meet them, like you are just gonna absolutely, just be so cared for and valued. And so as you reflect on all of these various students that you will be meeting in the near future, those who are listening, what advice would you give to prospective students exploring their career in social work at the Garland School?
Jordan Goodnature
Yeah, so I think, like I said, before, we know that social work is a passion-driven discipline and that a lot of people find social work because they have experienced firsthand or observed hurts in their communities that they want to be part of the healing in. So I think in thinking about that as your career and making care in your career, I would encourage you to find your 'why' and to hold on to it. Your 'why' can change. So a great example, even though I'm not a social worker, is my why has always been to help students access higher education, and that changed from just bachelor's degrees to bachelor's and master's degrees, because I think they're so important. Then that changed from bachelor's and master's degrees to degrees in social work, because, like Curtis said, the world needs more social workers, and I'm not afraid to say the world needs more Garland School educated social workers. So your why can evolve and change over time, but find that core thing that drives you and keep it in the headlights. I think that's really important when pursuing any graduate program. School is rigorous. It's difficult for different people for different reasons. So holding on to 'this is why I'm here. This is my motivator' can really help make the hard days a little softer and remind you 'this is what I'm here for'. And remember you're not alone and that you have an incredible support team all the way up to when you're part of our programs, when you're here as a student, and even after you leave to help you keep that 'why' in the headlights, and to help you make a difference in your community and across the world, which is what we want to help you do.
Curtis Isozaki
Jordan, thank you so much for sharing just your experience. Love the rapid fire questions always getting to know you. [I] just feel like we have just such a better idea for the value of this community, class sizes, mentorship, and really what it looks like to live in Waco and be a part of the Garland School. So yeah, thanks for taking the time to be with us. We're looking forward to more conversations.
Jordan Goodnature
Absolutely! Thank you for having me.