Traci Dotson is making connections through Toni Johnson Scholars Program

Social work wasn’t unfamiliar to Traci Dotson when she began considering it as a career path. Her non-traditional upbringing involved many interactions with social workers.

Very few things in life are traditional for Dotson, an MSW student in the Toni Johnson Scholars for Racial and Social Justice Program.

Dotson, 27, entered foster care when she was 15 years old. She was reunited with her family shortly before aging out of foster care — just in time to graduate high school with her class.

“I can’t say it was an all-rainbow-and-sunshine situation, as we know how systems work, so I was blessed to have positive experiences in the system and have good social workers and people who advocated for me and my family advocating for me,” Dotson said.

Dotson spent her time in foster care in a facility for all girls. They connected and understood one another there, she said.

But the thought of being a social worker didn’t arrive for Dotson immediately.

She started college on the education track and showed interest in women’s studies and African American studies before she decided on social work. But her schooling couldn’t be traditional, either.

Dotson, now a mother of two, was pregnant when she received the Toni Johnson Scholarship, which supports BSW, MSW and PhD students in the KU School of Social Welfare who are committed to service and social justice. She balances motherhood, work and school at the same time.

“Sometimes it just feels like hanging on for dear life and getting through the day,” Dotson said. “Other days feel like I’m doing this and killing it.”

Dotson, who also received her BSW from KU, found more than just financial support and mentorship within the Toni Johnson Scholars Program. She learned that when reading up on the program before receiving the scholarship.

“Wow, this is actually exactly who I am,” Dotson said. “These are my people.”

Dotson felt isolated when studying for her BSW while she was focused on parenting two young ones. Traversing a pandemic while getting her MSW, it could’ve been just as difficult for Dotson to surround herself with people who understood her.

The scholarship provides that space.

“I relate to a lot of them even though we’re at different points in our careers and journeys,” Dotson said. “So for me, it’s being able to connect with people who have similar experiences. I was surprised to meet other moms through the Toni Johnson Scholars Program.”

Dotson got into social work for the people. She enjoys the relationship she has with the BSW students she mentors and appreciates their shared experiences. She leans into her own mentors, such as KUSSW Student Support Coordinator Vanessa Sanburn.

That’s why Dotson got into social work. It was always about the people.

“The blessing of being in social work is that I’m surrounded by a bunch of social workers,” Dotson said. “We’re constantly reminding each other to give ourselves grace and practice self-care.”