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2018-2019 Interns

Your Path to a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)

At La Sierra University, our Social Work program equips you with the knowledge, experience, and ethical foundation to make a difference in people’s lives. Whether you’re an adult transfer student completing coursework from a community college or a high school senior planning your future, this program prepares you for careers in healthcare, schools, mental health, child welfare, and community agencies.

Program Features Designed for Transfer Success

  • Transfer-friendly coursework that values your community college credits and helps you graduate sooner.
  • Flexible scheduling and advising for adult learners balancing work, family, and school.
  • Hands-on field education and internships that connect classroom learning to real-world practice.
  • Dedicated support for high school seniors preparing to enter the field with confidence.

Career-Focused Curriculum
Learn core social work competencies including human behavior, social welfare policy, cultural diversity, and practice skills. The curriculum emphasizes ethical practice, community engagement, evidence-based intervention, and professional development—all essential for success as a social work practitioner or for continuing to graduate study.

Field Education Experience
Field placements are a cornerstone of the program. You’ll work alongside professionals in community settings, gaining professional experience before you graduate—an advantage for job readiness and career growth.

Who Should Apply

  • Adult transfer students with community college credits seeking a structured pathway to complete a BSW.
  • High school seniors ready to pursue a meaningful profession in social work.

Finish your bachelor’s with a program that supports academic success, real-world experience, and your career goals. Join a community of learners committed to service, justice, and transformation.

A promotional poster titled “From Theory to Practice: Meet our 2018-19 social work student interns changing the world.” It shows full-body photos of nineteen social work interns, each standing and smiling, with short summaries of their internship placements in areas such as behavioral health, youth services, community health, and crisis intervention.

A promotional poster titled “From Theory to Practice:  Meet our 2018-19 social work student interns changing the world.” It shows full-body photos of nineteen social work interns, each standing and smiling, with short summaries of their internship placements in areas such as behavioral health, youth services, community health, and crisis intervention. 

Melanie McKay
Domestic Violence Services | District Attorney's Office | Riverside County Division of Victim Services

The Division of Victim Services provides crisis intervention, emergency assistance, referrals, direct counseling, victim compensation applications, orientation to the criminal justice system, court accompaniment, public presentations, restitution assistance, assistance obtaining protective orders, and funeral arrangements for victims and witnesses of crimes. The mission of the Division of Victim Services is to empower these individuals through advocacy and support services, while also promoting successful prosecution. As an intern, Melanie guides victims through the criminal justice process and helps them overcome the effects of crime.

Naomi Freeman
Center Against Sexual Assault of Southwest Riverside County

The Center Against Sexual Assault (CASA) is a non-profit organization committed to providing education to the public and support to survivors of sexual assault. Since its beginning, CASA has worked diligently to increase types of services based on the needs of the community. As an intern, Naomi provides telephone and in-person crisis counseling, support, referrals, advocacy, and accompaniment services to survivors of sexual assault, their families, and their significant others; she also conducts empowerment groups for both girls and boys at local high schools in the Hemet Valley area.

Jasmin Sajjadi & Adeline Borno
Riverside County Department of Social Services | Investigative Services

Children's Protective Services is a division of the Department of Social Services, whose main purpose is to protect children and youth from abuse and neglect. As interns, Jasmin and Adeline shadow social workers in every aspect of the agency's services to the community. They also help families mitigate their circumstances by offering the correct preventative services.

Maria Hunt
The Wylie Center

The Wylie Center provides autism interventions, mental health services, and therapies for families in the Inland Empire. Interns are involved in a variety of social work duties. Maria is currently working on macro level projects and training as a Behavior Interventionist in order to support children with autism and their families. She is also focused on community outreach, event planning, and fundraising opportunities.

Danyarel Crespo
Children's Treatment Services | Riverside University Health System |Behavioral Health

The Behavioral Health Department serves clients whose lives are impacted by mental illness. At this clinic, clients range from young children to those approaching adulthood. Danyarel works with clients and their parents by co-facilitating psycho-educational groups with a licensed clinician. She also has the opportunity to learn about different strategies for therapy, sit in on assessments, and participate in field in-home services. The goal of her service is to provide treatment and to assist clients in developing better communication/coping skills to enhance their quality of life.

Katherine McGill
Love Your Neighbor Community | La Sierra University Church

La Sierra University Church (La Sierra UniversityC) is a local faith-based organization that provides a variety of services to those living in the 92505-zip code, and collaborates with the Riverside's Mayor's office to serve those without homes and those at risk for losing their housing. Interns work with pastors, the finance director, and the volunteers at community services who run the weekly food bank. Katherine engages and assesses clients, and provides resources for needs that are beyond food or clothing. She also collaborates with other interns placed throughout the city of Riverside as they seek to bring awareness to the needs of the homeless and facilitate churches partnering with the city to meet community needs.

Sean Jackson
Path of Life Ministries

Path of Life Ministries is a non-profit organization based in Riverside. They are committed to serving the homeless population and the poor with the goal to rescue, restore, and rebuild lives. Through community collaboration they contribute to a holistic, community based solutions that improve the local social, economic, and spiritual health of Riverside County. As an intern, Sean works with their Behavioral Health Services providing case management services, group facilitation, and support services to families and individuals.

Kylie Heinrich
Parent Enrichment Program | Jurupa Unified School District

As part of the Parent Enrichment Program, Kylie serves as a Heme Visitor in this home-based non-directive, non-didactic approach where behaviors are modeled to parents. Twice a week, interns visit with each child served who is between the ages of 16 months to 4 years of age and introduce Verbal Interaction Stimulus Materials meant to increase early child literacy, increase parent/child interactions, and prepare children for school. Utilizing the ecological approach, interns are attentive to the needs of the family and suggest any necessary referrals.

Denise Darling
Homeless Outreach Support Team (HOST) | San Bernardino County Behavioral Health

The HOST program provides outreach and engagement services to individuals and their families in an effort to obtain permanent supportive housing. Case managers assist individuals through wrap around services, as they seek to maintain housing and become resilient in the community. Services include outreach, intensive case management, advocacy, and empowerment for self-sufficiency, as well as linkage and referrals. HOST collaborates with the Sheriff's Homeless Outreach Proactive Enforcement (HOPE) team to conduct outreach events, go out into the field, and engage the most difficult and hard to reach clients.

Wesley Martins & Sophia Conde
Inland Housing Solutions

Inland Housing Solutions (IHS) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to break the cycle of homelessness for families. As interns, Sophia and Wesley act as Family Stability Advocates. Their duties include: conducting intakes and assessments; providing case management, including developing service plans, connecting households to mainstream benefits and community resources, providing education in areas such as goal-setting and money management; and empowering and supporting households on their path to self-sufficiency. They also have ample opportunity for multidisciplinary collaboration and complete a macro project addressing an identified need or service gap.

Pingkan Simauw
Preschool 0-5 Programs Set-4-School Riverside University Health System | Behavioral Health

The Behavioral Health Department serves clients whose lives are impacted by mental illness. The Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) program serves children from the ages of 0-5 who are dealing with severe behavioral problems. The treatment program assists children and helps families promote positive parent-child relationships and interactions. As an intern, Pingkan works with licensed clinicians by assisting during sessions with the clients and parents. While the therapist works with the parents, Pingkan works with the children.

Magaly Macias
Student & Family Support Services Department | Corona Norco Unified School District

The Student and Family Support Services Department supports families within the Corona Norco Unified School district in a variety of areas including community resources, mental health, counseling, and parent education. Magaly has the opportunity to provide resources to families in crises and link them to community agencies; assist with support groups for parents and/ or children; become more acquainted with the needs of the community and develop plans to help families in a variety of unique situations; work with families whose children are chronically absent and/or have engaged in delinquent behaviors; and link families to mental health resources and support groups.

Susana Garcia & Savanna Valencia
Family Justice Center | District Attorney's Office | Riverside County Division of Victim Services

The primary populations served include victims of domestic violence, child abuse, elder abuse, and sexual assault. Savanna and Susana assist with restraining orders, moral support, crisis intervention, orienting victims to criminal justice system, and referring victims to needed resources. They also conduct victim intakes and needs assessments, provide community outreach presentations, and assist with various administrative duties within the Family Justice Center.

Morena Melendez
La Sierra Academy

La Sierra Academy is a local TK-12 Christian School in Riverside. The counselor's office provides assistance for students with their academic, behavioral, mental, and/ or emotional success. Morena works alongside the school counselor serving the needs of students in elementary, junior high, and high school. In addition, she assists the school with their annual events that strive to help students gain more knowledge about potential careers and college readiness.

Raquel Lopez
Academic Recovery Intern | Office of Advising and Career Success (OACS) | La Sierra University

The Academic Recovery Intern (ARI) works to provide assistance for at-risk students who may be on Academic Probation, on Critical Academic Probation, or who are not making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Other student populations served may include students referred by their instructors, those who are not in good citizen standing, or students who are not earning the GPA necessary for their majors. Raquel supports students in developing the skills necessary to be successful scholars and lifelong learners.

Sha'von McKnight
Patton State Hospital

Patton State Hospital (PSH) provides in-patient treatment to over 1,500 patients from ages 17-91 who exhibit a wide range of severe mental disorders. PSH is the largest maximum-security forensic hospital in the nation that houses male and female criminally insane patients. The hospital's mission is to provide comprehensive clinical services within the context of a biopsychosocial rehabilitation model in an environment of safety, security, dignity, and respect for all patients, staff, and the community. The objective of PSH is to emphasize the potential for each patient to learn new skills, develop adaptive coping mechanisms to enhance the quality of the patient's life, prepare patients for Community Outpatient Treatment, and to design specialized treatment plans to help patients gain the knowledge and skills necessary to be competent in court. As an intern, Sha'von engages with the patients by assisting in the in-take process, monitoring on-going assessments, advanced directives, teaching psycho-educational courses, and co-facilitating groups.

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