Graduating Student Spotlight: Brian Laird

Brian Laird embraces the experiences that come with social work. Laird is a non-traditional student who will graduate with his Bachelor of Social Work degree from the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare this May and looks forward to a career of helping people.

His aspirations trend toward assisting people through community mental health and substance misuse services, but he could also see himself teaching in a classroom one day. For now, Laird enjoys the process.

“Maybe I don't look like the stereotypical social worker,” Laird said. “But the desire is all there. The desire to make everyone's living situations better.”

Get to know more about Laird as he shares his thoughts ahead of graduation.

Where are your thoughts ahead of graduation?

Laird: “The bachelor’s graduation is just sort of a pause. I’m jumping right into the master’s program, so I haven’t really given it a lot of thought. Honestly, my life has been ruled by my schedule recently. I’ve just been doing the next thing. But it will be nice to finish up and walk down the Hill, even if I’m jumping right into the next thing.”

What are you looking forward to about the Master of Social Work program?

Laird: “Honestly, just improving my skills. There are so many things I would like to do with that degree that I see other people doing, but I don’t have the training yet. I’m excited about that prospect. And I understand that even after the Advanced Standing program, there are going to be another three years of me working under supervision before I can do a lot of the things I’d like to do. But it seems like a cool next chapter.”

How did you initially decide on social work?

Laird: “It was kind of accidental. I come from a long line of public service employees. Teachers, doctors, first responders. There was a Kansas legislative rep thrown in there for a while. Growing up, I always kind of expected I would do the same thing. I wanted to be a physician when I was young, but I got sidetracked in my school days with substance use. I dropped out of high school, and family life wasn’t great. There were a lot of social workers involved in my teen years.

“I was a software engineer for 25 years, so I managed to make money without any education. My aunt, who was a high school teacher, was in the process of closing her final chapter, and she saw something in me and made me promise that I would get a master’s degree. I remember being surprised that you could get paid to advocate for others. Wow, sign me up.”

Was there something about the BSW program that really stuck out to you?

Laird: “I really liked my SW 555 professor. One thing that I remember was that, you know, oppression always reinforces itself. Oppression always reinforces the status quo. That was a pretty powerful thing, just looking around the world and seeing how everything functions. It’s been really eye-opening for me.

“But I like all my professors. I really like my cohort, in particular. There are a lot of changes going on in Kansas, many of which we disagree with. But I’m really hopeful of the future because of where I’m sitting and the people I’m sitting with.”