Social Work’s Rising Community Champion: India Esguerra
I had the pleasure of sitting down with India Esguerra, a recent graduate of Florida State University. She pursued a master’s degree in social work because she has a natural talent and passion to help her community. She is committed to providing compassionate and empowering support to individuals, couples, and families across a diverse age range. India’s main areas of focus are family dynamics, mental health, and life transitions. These are closely aligned with the work she performs through her current internship. India possesses a deep value for creating safe spaces that allow individuals to feel confident in expressing their most vulnerable selves. Her target population is couples and families who face the challenges of stress, anxiety, life transitions, and/or relationship struggles. However, she has a strong desire to help anyone seeking guidance regardless of age, demographics, or needs.
During her tenure at Florida State University, she gained a solid understanding of theoretical frameworks and social work ethics. In addition, her work experience has allowed her to implement these academic concepts, experiment and refine her approach, and create tailored methods of support for the individuals she serves. India’s education and work experience have prepared her for the role of Social Worker.
An important aspect of Social Work is being able to understand the community’s needs and demographics and then locate resources and existing services already provided in that community. This includes time and effort spent exploring state and county government resources, non-profit directories, community centers, and community bulletin boards for information regarding relevant local resources in the mental health field that offer family support programs. India hopes to collaborate with local professionals, social workers, health care providers, educators, and faith-based organizations to learn about key resources and establish connections to further assist her clients. Additionally, India would like to engage directly with her local county community by attending public meetings, events, or forums to meet community members and gain insight into their lived experiences and needs. Building partnerships with local organizations and agencies serving similar populations would also be a priority to exchange knowledge and share networks. Finally, India would leverage technology, such as 211 or other local resource databases, to locate and verify services. These steps would allow her to build relationships within the community to better serve individuals seeking resources to achieve growth for mental healthcare.
I am excited to see what the future holds for India and the great things she will do to support her community.
Reference:
India, E. (2024, December 16). Masters in social work Interview. (T. Dickel, Interviewer) [Personal Communication].