“No matter how hard things seem, continue to always persevere and push yourself,” said Amanda Ricci of Barnegat, N.J. Amanda’s passion for positive change is what led her to pursue a career that is focused on helping others – social work. She is graduating in May with a bachelor’s degree in social work from GCU.
As a first-generation college student, Amanda credits her involvement with the GCU TRIO program for helping to achieve her educational goals. TRIO is designed to identify and provide services for first-generation college students and others from disadvantaged backgrounds to help them achieve academic success. “The TRIO staff and other first-gen TRIO scholars helped me feel included in a community devoted to not letting any obstacle define who you are,” she explained.
As someone who has suffered from anxiety and mental health battles, Amanda is working to break the stigma and help others who are going through the same struggles. “I didn’t really have anybody in high school to help me through those struggles, so I want to work in a high school and work directly with teenagers, helping them with their challenges,” she said.
Reflecting on her time at GCU, she thanks the Office of Student Success and Advocacy for helping her along the way. “They helped me delegate tasks & learn how to cope with different life circumstances that were affecting my academic progress. I was given guidance and support in advocating for myself, and I will use what I’ve learned from them to advocate for others as a social worker moving forward.” Amanda is actively working to fulfill her goals as an intern at a high school where she assists students with their needs.
During her time at GCU, Amanda remarked on the support of her professors. “They push you to try things you never thought you would try before. I never imagined that I would be doing all of the things that I did,” she said. “With the support of my professors, it made it easier to move forward, overcome a variety of challenges, and succeed in ways I never imagined I would. I feel they never doubted my abilities to be a social worker, despite facing my own mental health battle.”
Amanda has served as president of the Social Work Club at GCU for two years. She has facilitated many events for suicide prevention and domestic violence, and tirelessly perseveres to give back to the community. Additionally, Amanda worked with one of her professors to research the effectiveness of implemented suicide prevention programs.
Amanda advocates not only for people, but also for our planet. While at GCU, Amanda traveled to Washington D.C. to work with the Catholic Climate Covenant and speak with legislators about reforms needed to address climate change.
“I am driven by a passion for systemic change and a desire to implement well-served social interventions,” said Amanda. “As a social work student at GCU, I am grateful for an education that allows me to strive for my goal to one day lead community-based initiatives.”
Amanda’s efforts landed her on the President’s List for all four years and she received the Ethical Leadership in Social Justice Award. Amanda will continue her career and academic path at Stockton University of Galloway, N.J., where she will pursue a Master of Social Work degree.
Upon graduating, Amanda will go on to make GCU proud and be an agent of change to help better our world. “I realized that I can do so much more than my mind is telling me I can,” she reflected. “Anything is possible if you have it within yourself.”
