Isabelle Rogers, a BSW student graduating May 2024, shared with us her unique journey of overcoming unexpected challenges and the support systems that allowed that to happen. During spring 2023, Rogers shared with a trusted staff that she was expecting a baby. From then on, Isabelle began preparing to be a mother while holding tight to the reality that she was going to “walk the stage, May of 2024, no matter what.” Not to our surprise, Rogers will be walking on that stage in a couple weeks, but this time with her 8-month-old baby in her arms.
Looking back to a year ago, Rogers acknowledges that not every piece of the puzzle was simple, but she attributes her success to the network of people that helped, encouraged, and partnered with her as she overcame this life shift. Rogers said: “I’m very lucky, I guess, that my mom, my partner, and my grandma have been a big support system. They are one of the only big reasons that I’ve still been able to complete school on time while having a baby in the middle of the year.”
Even then, the balancing act was not easy. Rogers had to practice essential social work skills, such as advocacy and communication, to ensure all requirements for graduation were met. Between her medical leave and graduation came many crucial conversations that sparked a collaboration between the school and Isabelle. She said: “If I did not have the support of my professors or my faculty liaison, I would have never been able to do this. It would have been impossible if I did not have their support. That played a big role.”
Luckly, Rogers’s internship at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) in Springfield turned out just as supportive as the school. Her internship placement valued Rogers as a person first and a worker second, which allowed her to be an exemplary mother while ensuring other children and families were safe in their homes. Her dedication and drive, even in her circumstances, opened a full-time job opportunity at her internship placement, upon graduation.
“If I did not have the support of my professors or my faculty liaison, I would have never been able to do this. It would have been impossible if I did not have their support. That played a big role.”
Isabelle Rogers
Rogers acknowledges that even though she did not foresee pregnancy happening, she’s “so grateful it did.” Should anyone else find themselves’ in a similar situation, Rogers encourages them to hold tight to this truth: “There are going to be hard days but remember the reward at the end of all these days is going to be so worth it. It may be incredibly hard some days and you’re just going to want to throw in the towel and do something easier. But let it be hard right now because life will eventually get easier.”
“There are going to be hard days but remember the reward at the end of all these days is going to be so worth it.”
Isabelle Rogers
