Jordyn Scholer

I attribute much of my success to my mom, who has been my “why” for as long as I can remember. As a single mother of three, she worked two jobs, day and night, to provide for our family. Watching her work so hard and make sacrifices for us inspired me to pursue my education and dedicate my career to helping families, particularly single mothers, and serving others through the field of social work.

My mom has always been my powerhouse and the person who keeps me motivated to keep going, even when things get difficult. She taught me from a young age to never rely on anyone for anything and to always prioritize my education because it is something no one can ever take away from me. Her strength, resilience, and determination have shaped the person I am today and continue to inspire the work I do every day.

The best career advice I’ve ever received is that it's okay to make mistakes. I’ve always been someone who strives to do everything right, so learning to embrace mistakes was a valuable lesson for me. I was reminded that mistakes are often where the most growth happens. They teach us how to navigate challenges, find new solutions, and develop new skills.

If everything were always perfect, we wouldn’t have the same opportunities to learn and grow. I’ve learned that making a mistake doesn’t define my abilities or my success. What matters is being willing to acknowledge it, learn from it, make adjustments, and keep moving forward. That mindset has allowed me to become more confident, adaptable, and resilient throughout my career, and it continues to be some of the best advice I’ve received.

My advice would be to believe in yourself. You’re going to have hard days, and you’re going to have great days, but you have to trust yourself to navigate both. Not everything has to be perfect from the beginning, so give yourself grace and allow yourself the space to learn, grow, and find your own path along the way.

Lean on your support system and your peers, ask questions, and don’t be afraid to seek guidance when you need it. At the same time, listen to your heart and trust yourself when deciding how to move forward. You know your strengths, your intentions, and the kind of impact you want to make.

I truly believe that learning to believe in myself is what has helped me get to where I am today. That is the advice I would give to anyone entering this field: believe in yourself, trust your abilities, give yourself grace, and keep moving forward.

I think one of the biggest challenges in my field right now is the lack of support and resources available to the people who need them most. Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to work with adults with disabilities, children, and families experiencing poverty, and I’ve seen firsthand how difficult it can be for families to move forward when resources and funding are limited.

Our goal as social workers is to connect families with the support, services, and resources they need to feel stable and successful. However, when those resources are unavailable or have long waitlists, it can create significant barriers and impact how quickly and effectively we’re able to support them. It can be incredibly difficult to see a family motivated to make positive changes but unable to access the services they need.

Ultimately, we want to see families succeed and build stronger, more stable futures. Adequate funding, accessible services, and strong community resources are essential to making that possible. When those supports are limited, it can slow or even prevent the progress we’re working so hard to achieve.

One of the core values I align myself with most is, “Don’t make assumptions.” I believe this applies not only to my career, but to life as well. In social work, we work with families who may be facing circumstances that, from the outside, can be easy to judge or make assumptions about. However, until you take the time to truly listen to someone’s story and understand the experiences and challenges that brought them to where they are, you may never fully understand their perspective.

I’ve always tried to approach both my personal and professional relationships with honesty, open communication, and an open mind. I believe in being honest with my employees, the families I work with, and the people in my personal life, and I hope to receive that same honesty in return.

I often tell the families I work with, “You don’t have to act like everything is fine in front of me. Honestly tell me where you’re at, because I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what you need.” I believe creating a safe, judgment-free space where families feel comfortable being honest about their needs is one of the most important things we can do as social workers. When families feel heard and understood, we can work together to identify what they truly need and create meaningful, lasting progress.