Video: Hannah Skibba, ’22 UW-Green Bay graduate and social worker. “It’s a great, great life”

Hannah Skibba, ’22 Social Work major with a child welfare emphasis and currently working as an ongoing worker in Child Protective Services at the Winnebago County Department of Human Services. Her work in Child Protective Services has allowed her to help those who can’t help themselves. Hannah is an advocate, counselor and parent when parents can’t be or don’t have the power and resources to provide for their children. For her, seeing families do well from obstacles and flourish is what she enjoys most about her career as a social worker.

Video Transcript: UW-Green Bay offers so many different paths that you can take with the social work field and I knew that there was substance abuse, education, behavioral health or child welfare. I had no question there, I wanted to go for child welfare. I wanted to help those who are vulnerable that can’t shield themselves from danger. The Social Work professors at UW-Green Bay are like no other. They are so friendly and so welcoming to new ideas or different opinions. So, I have a major favorite core class in the Social Work program and it was the Skills class. So, this class specifically pushed me out of my comfort zone. Where we had to sit either in groups or one-on-one and practice and put yourself in that vulnerable situation of a social worker or a client. And it was challenging a lot at times but this course helped me in so many different ways, prepare myself to be in the field. I’m an ongoing worker in Child Protective Services at the Winnebago County Department of Human Services. These kids that I work with are unbelievable. They are the most kind, resilient, hard-working kids and it is so crazy to see how much they grow as well as their parents grow either in terms of development or just you know being themselves again. Just an unreal experience knowing that I was that person that could help them get out of that really tough situation. Brings back to your mind all the hard work that you do throughout your education, throughout your field placement and throughout all the months that you’ve been working, years that you’re working at this at this job. It doesn’t feel like a job anymore, it just feels like a totally different experience just a great, great life.