Dr. Gray received her doctorate in Social Work from UGA in
2009 and her Master of Social Work in 2003. The Philadelphia, Pa., native
focused her dissertation research on the history of African American social
work during the Progressive Era in Philadelphia.
“My interest in social work history deals with the poverty
that we’ve faced in the past and that we’re dealing with in the present,” Dr.
Gray says. “When I see opportunities to help serve, to work with a program that
seems to make a difference, I definitely take that opportunity and try to
implement lessons from the past into the present situation.”
During her time at UGA’s Gwinnett College campus, Dr. Gray was
a part-time student involved in Hope for Kids, an organization in Atlanta that prepared
elementary school children in poverty stricken areas of the city for standardized
tests.
Dr. Gray earned her bachelor’s degree from Lafayette College
in 1994 where she balanced academics and sports as a biology major and basketball player.
“It takes a lot more work than people realize to be a
student athlete,” Dr. Gray says. “It’s like having a full-time job while you
are in school. It was definitely a lot of work, but the bond you make with your
teammates and the opportunity to represent your school in athletics is an
experience I will always cherish. I think that’s what motivated me to work with
the student athletes when I was at Georgia. I worked in the athletic department
as a tutor and a mentor while I was there working on my Ph.D.”
The summer before her junior year at Lafayette College, Dr.
Gray worked alongside Dr. Charles Holliday, emeritus professor of biology, to
study the mating behavior of the cicada killer wasp. Dr. Gray notes Lafayette’s
strong emphasis on research as the resource that prepared her for her transition
to graduate studies at UGA.
The shift from biology to social work may seem abnormal, but
for her, it was second nature.
“I was very familiar with social work,” Dr. Gray says. “My
mom, my aunt and my father are all in the field and were very active in the
community. It wasn’t that much of a stretch for me as it looks on paper. It’s
something I grew up with all my life. I guess I was destined to go into the
field.”
Since 2009, Dr. Gray has been at Winthrop University where
she is currently an assistant professor of social work and undergraduate
program director for the department of social work. Her areas of study include adolescent/child
development, adoption, social welfare policy and social work history. Dr. Gray teaches courses in working with
multicultural clients, human behavior in the social environment and policy—a
subject close to her heart thanks to Dr. June Gary Hopps, the Thomas M. "Jim" Parham Professor of Family
and Children Studies at the UGA School of Social Work.
“She’s the policy
guru at UGA and she helped me have an appreciation and love for policy,” Dr.
Gray says. “You can work with an individual, you can work with a family and
make a difference there, but you can really have an impact—that broad scale
impact—when you can change policy. [Dr. Hopps] was really instrumental in my
academic career as a student and even as a young professor.”
Last fall, Dr. Gray traveled to Port-au-Prince, Haiti with
Hope Worldwide to help rebuild a community ravaged by a major earthquake in
January 2010. She plans to go again this October to see the progression of the
efforts made to restore the community.
Through her work with Hope Worldwide, Dr. Gray was asked to
join a national conference call with Michelle Obama to discuss Joining Forces,
an organization started by the White House and first lady to help military
families have faith-based community organizations.
“She was reminding us to reach out to the veterans and their
families as well … to not forget about them during our outreach to local
people,” Dr. Gray says.
More recently, Dr. Gray is developing a disaster response
initiative at Winthrop University to teach Bachelor of Social Work and Master
of Social Work students “sound practice principles to prepare, respond and
recover” from natural disasters in the Southeast. Winthrop University is collaborating with the
University of South Carolina and Catholic Charities Agency to set the program
in motion.
Dr. Gray works toward multiple causes outside of Winthrop
University. At HOPE Charlotte, she contributes to their building bridges over
poverty program. At Youth Source, a faith-based organization for the youth at
risk in the Rock Hill, S.C., she is an advisory board member.
In addition to these
projects, Dr. Gray is working with a colleague to implement a peace initiative
at Hays State Prison. According to Dr. Gray, “[the initiative] is intended to
help the inmates use nonviolent practices, to have peace within the prison
system and to help decrease recidivism when they return to the community.”
Reaching out to people who are in situations beyond their
control is the most fulfilling part of social work for Dr. Gray and she wants to
encourage her students to do the same.
“That’s why I practice and that’s what I want to encourage
my students to do. Just to find that population, that person, that family, that
they can make a difference with. In a world full of negativity and strife we
need to seize every opportunity we can to have a positive experience with
people to show them that there is hope … that they can overcome situations that
they’re faced with.”
For Dr. Gray, the most integral part of social work is a
social worker’s knowledge of their impact on society and using their resources
to open doors for others.
“Be it your practice or policy, social workers have
tremendous avenues and opportunities to make a difference,” Dr. Gray says.
Look for Dr. Gray's full story and photos in our Social Work magazine this December.
Look for Dr. Gray's full story and photos in our Social Work magazine this December.
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