A non-traditional student at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Candace Duran is driven by her life experiences and a focus on emerging social issues.
Hoping to make positive changes for a stressed child welfare system, the sociology and social work major enrolled in the Child Advocacy Studies Certificate (CAST), a new undergraduate certificate in social work at UW-Stevens Point.
This Wisconsin Rapids student, mother, wife and former foster parent is someone who has worked to support children in need since she was a teen herself. Her goal today is to gain the advanced skills needed for a career in a juvenile setting for social work.
Her degree path has taken detours—first pausing while she studied in the early childhood education field and earned an associate’s degree in corrections and community advocacy. She also started her family of four with her husband, Ervey. She works in special education and is enrolled in CAST and other online Department of Sociology and Social Work courses to allow her the flexibility she needs in her schedule to keep up with the lectures and assignments.
Duran said she primarily studies in the evening after she puts her children to bed. “They see mom studying and working hard,” she said. “I make sure they know that it’s not easy and I’m working as hard as I can for them and for myself.”
She has that drive in large part because of her troubled upbringing. Duran lost her father at the age of 9. Before that, she said, they struggled with food insecurity and the instability of living with a parent who had mental health issues. She remembers feeling unseen and she wants to do better for others.
“People don’t know the behaviors in teens who have come from abuse. When I work in this field, I can have the insights you need and I know how these kids are just trying to survive,” Duran said.
CAST is nationally accredited through the Zero Abuse Project and is implemented in universities across 31 states. Since launching the evidence-based child abuse curriculum this fall at UW-Stevens Point, the certificate has 29 students enrolled.
Assistant Social Work Professor Kate Kipp oversees the program. It intentionally builds knowledge and skills specific to child maltreatment for students with majors in child development/family studies, criminal justice, education, nursing, pre-law, pre-med, psychology, social work, and sociology, she said.
“With so many children and youth intersecting with child protection, the training to identify, intervene and support youth involved in child welfare is critical,” Kipp said.
CAST helps to empower students to confidently recognize and react to respond effectively to child maltreatment, Kipp said. Students completing the CAST certificate will be able to list the nationally recognized certificate on job and professional/graduate school applications. The new certificate is fully online (asynchronous) so students can complete the three courses without traveling to campus or having schedule conflicts with other courses in their major.
Those who earn the three-course certificate are poised for success in a variety of fields where a strong knowledge and skill base to recognize and respond to child maltreatment is an asset in their professional work.
Overall growth for job candidates entering the social work occupation is 19% through 2030, according to Lightcast labor market data compiled from the private sector and government sources. It is even higher, at a projected job growth of 27%, for social and community service managers.
Looking ahead, Duran will gain experience in a social services agency during a required practicum. She will intern next summer where she will apply her knowledge and prepare herself for the field and the next chapter of her life.
“My destination is clear,” said Duran, who plans to graduate with her social work and sociology bachelor’s degrees in 2025.
To learn more about CAST, email the UW-Stevens Point Department of Sociology and Social Work at soc@uwsp.edu.
