Whitney Shadowens graduated with the MA in Women’s Studies in 2012. She obtained a Master of Social Work (MSW) in May 2020 from the University of South Florida and is currently a Registered Clinical Social Worker Intern, working toward licensure as a Clinical Social Worker, and providing psychotherapy services to individuals and couples in Pinellas County, Florida.
In 2004, I began my undergraduate studies at the University of Florida with the goal to become a high school English teacher. I came from a sheltered home and a small private school. Much of my undergraduate experience was learning to understand the world into which I had just been thrust. I coasted through my undergraduate studies without passion or a true connection to what I was learning. As I entered my senior year, I felt unfulfilled by the career path I had chosen and searched for deeper meaning and purpose. My last semester of college, I took a feminist theory course on a whim – and I realized what I was missing. I decided to pursue a graduate degree at the Center for Gender, Sexualities, and Women’s Studies Research (CGSWSR) at UF.
When I graduated in 2012 with my MA, I obtained a full time job working for Peaceful Paths Domestic Abuse Network, a non-profit agency in Gainesville, Florida. Working for the agency took my graduate education to the next level, from theory to practice. In the program, I developed an awareness of myself in relation to systems of power, oppression, and privilege. However, it was not until working with survivors that I witnessed first-hand how race, gender identity, ability level, sexuality, culture, religion and socioeconomic status create obstacles to safety, healing, and justice to those experiencing abuse. During my time at the agency, I worked directly with survivor and the community, engaging in community education, community task forces, and co-coordinating a survivor art exhibit.
After nearly a decade of advocacy work with survivors of domestic violence, I returned to graduate school and received a Master of Social Work (MSW) in May 2020. I chose social work as a profession because of its commitment to social justice issues, social change, and understanding individuals through person-inenvironment framework — all of which align with the knowledge, values, and skills I obtained during my graduate program in the CGSWSR. My graduate education challenged my worldview and provided me a theoretical lens to critically evaluate how various identities and oppressions intersect to shape policy and impact lived experience. In my current clinical work, I aspire to help clients identify their strengths, develop self -awareness through a lens of their intersecting identities and social contexts, and empower them to embrace their personal power to enact change within themselves and their community.
I am immensely grateful for the exceptional education I received at UF’s CGSWSR. The Women’s Studies program shaped me on a deeply personal and professional level, informing how I interact with individuals, communities, and systems to bring about social change.
As Patricia Hill Collins said in Black Feminist Thought, a book that deeply influenced my education, growth, and professional development: “…the goal in life, in the world, is not to merely survive or to fit in or to cope; rather, it becomes a place where we feel ownership and accountability…There is always a choice, and power to act, no matter how bleak the situation may appear to be.”