Do All Things with Kindness: Tiffany Vidaña's Journey in Social Work

Tiffany Vidaña has a mantra she lives by: "Do all things with kindness." For her, kindness is what drives her work as a social worker and how she shows up in her community every day. 

Growing up in Waco as a first-generation college student, Baylor wasn't just a school to Tiffany; it was a dream. She remembers exploring campus with her family as a kid, imagining what it would be like to be a student there one day. When she eventually felt called to social work, the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work felt like home.

"I was drawn not just to its academic reputation, but to the sense of purpose, faith, and service that runs through its community," she said. "The Garland School felt like the perfect fit, a place where I could grow both professionally and personally."

Her journey into social work happened gradually. She kept running into Garland School alumni who would tell her, "You have the heart of a social worker, you're already doing the work." Hearing that over and over helped her see something in herself she hadn't recognized before. Combined with a deep sense of calling, those conversations led her to pursue her MSW at her dream school.

But Tiffany's passion for change goes way beyond the classroom. At 24, she ran for the Waco City Council. She didn't win, but she came incredibly close to unseating an incumbent. The experience was transformative. She connected with so many people and believes her campaign sparked hope and energy in the community, encouraging people to get more engaged and hold their representatives accountable.

One of her favorite quotes captures this spirit: "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." This quote is from The Lorax. 

"It's a call to action," Tiffany explained. "Change doesn't happen on its own, someone has to care deeply enough to take a stand. And that someone could be you."

During her time at Baylor, Tiffany interned at Stages of Recovery and The Center for Church and Community Impact (C3I). At Stages, she worked with individuals in substance use recovery, facilitating group therapy sessions and conducting one-on-one sessions to help clients develop personalized treatment plans. At C3I, she served as a research assistant in a national pilot program, guiding a local congregation through ways to deepen their community engagement. She helped a local church establish a community garden and improve its food pantry- real, tangible work that addressed food insecurity and built community connections.

Tiffany was named the 2025 MSW Alicia Martinez Spirit of Social Work Award winner.

One of her instructors said, "Tiffany truly embodies social work! She has an innate gifting for connecting people from all across the community to come together for a shared goal. She is incredibly skilled in talking to individuals from marginalized communities and creating an environment of empowerment so that they can thrive. She is very passionate about advocacy, and it is always at the heart of everything that she does."

After graduating in August 2024 and passing her licensure exam, Tiffany went back to Stages of Recovery as a full-time clinician. Today, she is a program therapist at Meridell Achievement Center in Liberty Hill, Texas, supporting children and adolescents through behavior management, emotional regulation and therapeutic interventions that promote growth and stability in a structured setting. 

Tiffany loves her work because she gets to support clients directly while also connecting them to community resources. She's also serving on several local boards, including the Animal Welfare Board and the Board of The Arc of McLennan County, and she's working toward her LCSW.

The journey hasn't been easy. Tiffany dealt with imposter syndrome and the challenges that come with being a first-generation college student. Her family didn't always know how to support her because they hadn't been through it themselves. But with help from professors like Dr. Cheryl Pooler and Dr. Rob Rogers, along with her peers and family, she learned to push through the doubt.

Through her determination, kindness, and belief in showing up, Tiffany Vidaña lives out the spirit of social work—proving that when people care enough, real change is possible.