Paige Haehn returned to higher education to earn her Bachelor of Science in Social Work as a non-traditional student with two small children and some practical experience with life. She also started in the middle of a pandemic when a very hands-on field was suddenly very much online.
“It was really strange coming back in as a 28-year-old woman with 18-22-year-olds, where I was closer in age to our professor than anybody else,” Paige said. “Ohio State has been very inclusive. I have definitely learned that. It does not matter how old you are, you are welcome, and you become part of that classroom family and I really, really enjoyed that.”
Paige didn’t realize she would be eligible for scholarships and grants and was prepared to balance work outside of social work, her family, her classes and internships. Receiving the Phyllis Neff Social Work Scholarship opened up the possibilities for her. She was able to step down from a full-time management position and take a paid internship in social work.
“The grants and scholarships made it really easy to not take out as many loans as I thought I was going to have to,” Paige said. “It really did help out.”
Her internship brought her to a school navigation position at Lima City Schools where she explored the behavioral health aspects of her major at the Spartan Health Center. Her end goal is to earn her Master of Social Work through the Advanced Standing Alternative Plan that will get her out into the work world more quickly. She wants to become a school behavioral health counselor.
“My main goal is to stay in a school system because just so many children are overlooked, and they really need those supports in place,” Paige said.
She is grateful for the scholarship and grateful for its namesake for forging a path of kindness and dignity in the local social work field.
“It is amazing how one certain person can completely change your trajectory and where you end up in life,” Paige said of Crime Victim Services social worker Phyllis Neff. “Those people definitely make an impact, and they will continue to for as long as things like this can happen.”