Indiana University School of Social Work Fort Wayne Campus, student smiling at cameraStaShanna Thomas-Morris, a Fort Wayne native, is actively seeking her Bachelors of Social Work with the desire to work with those affected by mental health and addiction. She began her college career at IUPUI with the intention of receiving her degree in nursing. However, she soon realized she wanted to make a difference in her community, not just within a medical setting, which led her to social work.

As she transitioned into the social work program, she was a recognized as a recipient of the inaugural IUSSW Mental Health and Addictions Scholarship. StaShanna describes this scholarship as being very personal to her as it pushes her to continue to have the desire to serve the underserved and underrepresented groups in her area. Throughout her first year in the IUSSW program, her favorite class was social work research which provided her the opportunity to see the dire need of services for mental health and addictions. This has supported her in her understanding and determination to work in the field.

As StaShanna moves forward in her career, she plans to open her own non-profit agency geared towards serving anyone in need of services with mental health regardless of income. She is interested in opening her non-profit as soon as possible in Northeast Indiana as it is one of the most underserved areas of the state, and also has the intention of eventually going where there is less access. She explains that because in an area that did not previously have these resources or access to them now has them and that could make(s) such a big difference in that community. Change is not always easy, but StaShanna’s quote to live by is “be the change you wish to see.” – Mahatma Ghandi. Therefore, she is choosing to break the stigma surrounding mental health and find ways to improve access to essential resources.