Graduating Student Spotlight: Travis Channell
Travis Channell looks forward to the next stages of life after he graduates from the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare with his Master of Social Work degree in May. Leaning on his own experiences as a kid, Channell is dedicated to helping men develop emotional awareness and strengthen their ability to regulate their emotions.
Channell recognizes his empathy as a strength, but he didn’t always feel that way. Now he realizes that social work was the right path for him.
Get to know more about Channell as he shares his thoughts ahead of graduation.
Where is your head at as you approach graduation?
Channell: “I am really excited about graduation. I really didn't think I would be getting all the way to my master's degree. So that's really shocking to me. I'm taking my LMSW exam in May. I am looking with my girlfriend for houses to rent in Wichita. I've done multiple interviews for jobs in Wichita, and they both offered me the job, so that's exciting. I'm planning to propose in May."
How did you come across social work?
Channell: “In high school, I struggled with feeling like I was too emotional. I was too sensitive, and I was kind of being fake a lot of the time around my friends. But people would also come up to me to tell me they were struggling, and I wasn’t sure why they were telling me that, but I had a soft heart for it and had space for them. So, I would sit and talk with them. When I first started thinking of college, therapy was the first thing I thought of. So, I came to KU and started in psychology. I realized you need to get a Ph.D. and prescribe medicine, and I didn’t want to do that. My advisor told me about social work. I started doing that and realized my mom and aunt used to do social work. I fell into it, and now I want to work with men and help with emotional intelligence and emotional regulation.”
How did your own journey prepare you to be a social worker?
Channell: “I think I was right where I was supposed to be, and the mistakes that I made and how I was feeling, it had led me to this point, and now I look at my sensitivity more as not a crutch, but as a strength, and that where I can invite other men who feel the same way to sit with me and work through that.”
What stood out to you during your time with the KU School of Social Welfare?
Channell: “I fell into everything unprepared. I really did. And now I'm looking at the School of Social Work, saying, like, oh, it was a big deal. I think it's pretty well-known, and I know now it's a really great program. It stood out to me because the classes aren’t that big, so you can build a good community, and you can say what you feel in those classes. But I’m more of a hands-on learner, so the practicum program was great for me. I had my practicum with Adult Protective Services last year, and they just throw you in. I love that. It’s how I learn.”
What are some of your aspirations with an MSW?
Channell: “I want to jump straight into the clinical work, and I want to do therapy with people, and I want to get as much experience as I can there, and eventually, I've noticed in my training background, a lot of people treat that as a therapy session if you're alone in the gym. And I have noticed that mental health and physical health can combine and make the healthiness of a whole being, and that's from my own personal experience, whenever I was struggling with something mentally or struggling emotionally, doing something active really helped me out.
“So, my long-term goal is getting a lot of good experience clinically and building up my name, and then eventually combining that with some sort of physical fitness and helping the whole person. And I think that would really resonate a lot with men.”