By Renee Wilson
North Andover, MA – Halle Burgess, a recent graduate student of Merrimack College, has slowly developed into a promising young professional in the field of social work. Before graduating from Merrimack College this past May, she graduated a semester early from Finger Lakes Community College in December of 2022.
At just 20 years old, she has her Associate’s in Psychology and Bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Human Services with a complemented minor in Psychology as well. As everyone envisioned what their future career would look like, Burgess pictured a career as a school psychologist.
But, as a pivotal conversation came about during her time at school, she realized there’s more to psychology than just being a psychologist. Burgess states, “I had an assignment for a class of mine to explore another career path and interview someone in that field. I ended up interviewing Katie Willard here at Merrimack on the School Counseling program so I could understand more about the difference of the two career paths. She then asked me if I had ever thought about a career in Social Work.”
She follows with, “Katie explained to me that she is a social worker and all the careers she has had in her time as a social worker. This opened my eyes to how many different ways you can go with this degree and how many different populations and settings you’re able to work with, whereas a degree in school counseling or psychology is only one profession and setting for the most part.”
This jump started her journey into the graduate program here at Merrimack where she currently participates in the Community Standards Graduate Fellowship. Here Burgess oversees student conduct, arranges meetings, and manages sanctions, but it wasn’t easy finding the perfect fellowship.
“I interviewed for seven different fellowships in the span of three days. Having to prepare for so many different positions in such a short span of time was a struggle.” Along with the struggle of finding the right job, Halle had to adjust to the busy schedule the fellowship brought her.
Halle works her fellowship 25 hours a week from 8 AM to 4 PM. On top of that, she has to go to two classes back to back from 4 PM till 9 PM and still squeeze time for food and homework. Despite the tedious schedule, Halle counts her acceptance into graduate school and her fellowship as major successes as she is still only 20 years old.
“It’s been incredibly rewarding to gain early experience and work toward my goal of becoming a School Social Worker. It’s given me a head start on my career and opened up so many opportunities for growth.” as Burgess expresses.
Looking to the future, Halle plans to become a licensed School Adjustment Counselor or School Social Worker to help support students’ mental health. She remains open to various roles within social work such as community outreach and elderly support.
For those soon to be graduates, Halle offers some advice: “Be patient and persistent. Sometimes the right opportunity doesn’t come immediately after graduation, but with determination and flexibility, you’ll find your path. Networking can make all the difference. Think of your journey like climbing a staircase. It may be tough to reach the next step at times, but with persistence, you’ll get there. Every step forward brings you closer to where you want to be.”
Halle Burgess is just one of the few great examples of recent graduates with a straight path to success and committed to making a difference. Her journey highlights the importance of being adaptable and hard work pays off.
