Her Story
About Alex
Alex Swan serves as a CADI Case Manager at Redeemer Services, a role she began in January following the completion of her graduate studies. She earned her Master's in Social Work from St. Mary's University in Minnesota, along with bachelor's degrees in Public Relations and Marketing and in Journalism and Mass Communication from Ashford University, now known as Arizona Global Campus. Prior to her current position, Alex worked for 10 months as an HSS provider in Minnesota, assisting individuals with disabilities in securing affordable and safe housing. Her path into social work was shaped by personal experiences, including leaving an abusive relationship and the loss of her daughter Jaron in 2023, which deepened her commitment to aiding domestic violence victims and LGBTQ youth. Alex also draws on earlier volunteer experience marketing for a local band, which led to her interest in public relations. She attributes her drive to making her daughter proud and emphasizes values of honesty, integrity, and loyalty in both her professional and personal life.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Alex
01What do you attribute your success to?
My daughter Jaron. I want to make her proud by helping others who have gone through similar hardships. If I can save one family from going through what mine did, I'll considery career a success. I also want to show my other two children that it's never too late to follow your dreams and that no matter what life put you through, you can still rise above.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
You can't help everyone. The desire to want to help every victim, to help every kid. You can't help all of them, and you're gonna fail sometimes, and that's okay, even in the extreme situations. Just knowing that you tried is where you need to allow yourself to stay, not in the failure.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Take it one day at a time. One step at a time, if necessary, because it's not easy. But each step forward is important.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Equal pay for social workers who do not make what they should be making for what we do. Turnover is awful. Lack of people, hard work, they're underpaid, and probably don't feel appreciated a whole lot.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honesty, integrity, loyalty. I've kind of been the black sheep of my family my entire life, so just having someone who feels like it's necessary for me to be there because it makes their life better, rather than someone who just tolerates my presence. Loyalty and honesty are some big ones.
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