Student Spotlight: Sam Sauter

Sam Sauter sitting in the grass playing the ukulele

Class Year: August 2023

Degree Program: MSSA Online

Concentration: Community Practice for Social Change

Hometown: Timonium, Maryland

Field Education Organization: in Sacramento, California

Before beginning at Case Western Reserve University, what were you doing?

I spent two years in the nonprofit field as an executive assistant working primarily with DEI-related initiatives. 

Why did you choose CWRU/the Mandel School?

The Mandel School had a great track record and an excellent community practice curriculum with an established online program.

Describe your field education practicum experience and any work/projects you have done.

Fundraising plans, grant writing and program development and implementation are all things I work on pretty consistently during my field practicum!

Describe any extracurricular activities you're involved with on- or off-campus.

I am the online student representative of the Mandel Council, the co-chair of the fundraising committee of Sacramento鈥檚 Lavender Library, and a member of the Sacramento Women鈥檚 Chorus!

What are you most looking forward to this semester?

Applying what I鈥檓 learning in my specialist coursework in my field placement鈥攕pecifically using what I鈥檓 learning about partnerships and collaborations as well as mental healthcare policy to help support my agency in new offerings for mental health services for foster youth.

What do you hope to do with your degree?

My dream job is to work at the UN as a macro social worker. I also really enjoy grant writing and program development through a social work lens.

What is your favorite thing about CWRU/the Mandel School?

The professors at the Mandel School have been amazing wells of knowledge and have been incredibly encouraging and supportive. They bring diverse real-world experience to their lectures that help bring concepts that are sometimes a little abstract to life.

What is your favorite thing about Cleveland?

Cleveland has a rich history that we can use to understand social work concepts. Although I鈥檓 remote and haven鈥檛 been to campus, I really appreciate the course content we have surrounding Cleveland鈥檚 history!