Madeline Pendleton
The first half of my Masters in Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania has been an incredible experience for me professionally, socially, and personally. With the support of my scholarship from the Mentors Foundation, I have been able to dedicate my time to advancing my studies, working my practicum placement, and making connections with fellow students and social workers in the field.
My practicum placement is at HUP Harvest, a food pantry located inside the Hospital of the University’s Spruce and Cedar campuses. In this role, I have the opportunity to work with an interdisciplinary team of professionals to address social determinants of health within the hospital. Our program provides pre-made bags of shelf stable food to patients experiencing food insecurity immediately before discharge, as well as in-person shopping with perishable food items, such as milk, eggs, produce, and more.
I’ve also had the opportunity to develop professional relationships with many of my fellow students in medical social work placements across Penn’s health system. Their experience helps me to grow my own clinical skills and allows us both to serve patients more effectively.
I greatly appreciate these connections, as they’ve helped broaden my education and act as the backbone of social work practice.
My mentor, Dr. Charlene Lane, has also been an incredible support throughout this process. As my former academic advisor and the professor who brought me into the field of social work, she is not only skilled in her field, but in providing guidance and care. When classes got difficult and I felt lost, she would draw on her own experiences as well as experiences she walked me through during my undergraduate experience, and I cannot thank her enough.
I am beyond appreciative for the incredible support of the Mentors Foundation in my pursuit of my MSW at the University of Pennsylvania!