Alumni Spotlight: Latrese Kabuya

A calling to social work came right on time for Latrese Kabuya, who received her Master of Social Work degree (MSW) from the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare in 2022. 

Kabuya (she/her), never anticipated a career in the field though she always had a gift for making those around her feel comfortable. She currently works as a child and family therapist at Amethyst Place, a recovering housing facility, and has a weekly television segment on Channel 5 called “Wellness Wednesday,” where she discusses mental health.

Prioritizing her mental health is what pulled Kabuya into social work. That important decision was not considered a popular move in her community, she said. 

“I grew up where therapy as a Black woman was not acceptable. We did not go to therapy. As a Christian, I grew up as a Baptist, so all you needed to do was pray,” Kabuya said. “As I went through life and had a lot of life experiences that were not always positive, as I got older, I realized there was something that I needed.”

Kabuya needed this change, and now she believes that social work needs her. That’s where the School of Social Welfare came into play. Before her newly found career, Kabuya was a freelance makeup artist who traveled and did shows while taking care of a home of five children. 

She was often surrounded by people talking about mental health. Those discussions included colleagues discussing the social work program at KU. Kabuya went digging and saw an important role presenting itself to her at KU as a Black woman and non-traditional student in a space that needed more unique voices. 

“That was speaking to me,” Kabuya said.

Kabuya, who received a Margo Award in 2021, cherishes her School of Social Welfare education. She was often surrounded by younger students but Kabuya always felt heard. 

Professors left a mark on her. Kabuya mentioned adjunct instructor Sonya Alexander, who has taught courses on topics including social work practice with African American families and practice in mental health settings. 

“She was life-changing in the way she taught, just because of her delivery,” Kabuya said. “I had never experienced it like that, especially in the heated topics about things like race.”

Making hard topics digestible is at the core of Kabuya’s social work journey. Her leap of faith took her from a place where mental health was taboo to a career where she helps families in need. 

She credits much of her success in the profession to her alma mater. Whether it was the professors, her practicum or fellow students, the people and the program opened doors. 

“We’re elite,” Kabuya said. “I think that you’re not going to get a better group of professors or program than KU. Being attached to KU, the reputation. My first practicum, they wanted someone from KU and that catapulted my career.”

What Kabuya does now

Kabuya is a child and family therapist at Amethyst Place, where she sees adults, children and families at the recovery housing facility.

“What’s so unique about this place that I love is the moms actually live on our campus,” Kabuya said. “And so I get to serve women who have substance disorders and whose children, at some point were taken away. Because they are here, the courts allowed them to reconcile and bring kiddos back once it’s safe. There's the empowerment piece, there's the therapeutic piece, and, of course, the housing piece. And so it's just a really beautiful thing.”

A portion of Kabuya’s time is also spent as a media personality during her Wellness Wednesday segments on Channel 5. It’s during those segments that Kabuya discusses topics such as taking care of yourself, being present and navigating difficult relationships.

“We always want to take care of other people and it gets excessive,” Kabuya said during a November segment of Wellness Wednesday. “We drain ourselves and there’s no benefit in that. So we really have to learn and lean into balance.”