Michaella was born and raised in West Africa, Sierra Leone, and moved to the United States of America at the age of 11. She grew up in Sierra Leone with her mother and sister and was always surrounded by families and friends. In Sierra Leone, Michaella was the child who wanted to be involved in everything and know what was going on with everyone. She always loved to help people and tried to make others happy. Perhaps that is why she chose Social Work as a career.
Michaella graduated from California State East Bay University in Hayward, California, with a master’s in Social Worker (MSW) degree and as a Title IV-E student. Michaella concentrated on Children, Youth, and Families.
Michaella has worked in the Child Welfare field for about six years. Michaella loves being a Child Welfare Social Worker. In Child Welfare, she has worked with the whole family unit, including extended families. Michaella enjoys working with service providers, school social workers, foster parents, and anyone else who will support the families. As a Child Welfare Social Worker, Michaella believes that families who come through the Child Welfare system need a great team of support, which Michaella tries to provide to the families.
When Michaella is not working as a Child Welfare Social Worker, she loves spending time with her husband and her adorable daughters. Michaella also loves to spend time with extended families and friends. Michaella loves to travel, and her favorite place to visit is West Africa, Sierra Leone, her home. Michaella tries to travel home frequently because she desperately misses it. Michaella’s motto in life is, “Positive thinking leads to a positive outcome.”
When did you develop your love for writing and sharing stories?
To be honest I never thought about becoming an Author or even writing a book. This idea of writing my book came to me at the beginning of 2021 and I just went for it. I am the type of person that, if I get an idea about something, I start doing my research and I go for it. I have always loved to read but did not think or believe that I could write a book.
What inspired your book “How to survive as a Child Welfare Social Worker”?
What inspired me to write my book is. I saw there was a need for a resource for upcoming child welfare social workers. Instead of complaining and saying that there should be a book out there about child welfare that is just not the textbook information, I created one. Before I started writing this book, I did so much research to see if a book like this was available and there was none. I can say that is the first non-textbook and easy-to-read book about child welfare.
My book is an actual hands-on approach from an experienced social worker, who shares the pros and cons of being a child welfare social worker along with insight on how to navigate the stages of this rewarding career.
What message do you hope readers take away from this book?
The message that I hope readers take away from this book is there is more to child welfare than they thought. Although it is a very challenging field to work in but, there are some positives about working as a child welfare social worker in the social work field.
Where do you hope to see your message take you next in your career?
I hope that I can provide training to agencies so that they can have more understanding of the child welfare field and the roles of child welfare social workers. I hope my book can be available at all universities in their department of social work program as a resource to the upcoming social workers. I hope that I can reach upcoming social workers who are thinking about working in the child welfare field. I want to be able to have more resources available to child welfare social workers.
What is your definition of a Pretty Woman WHO Hustles?
My definition of a Pretty Woman WHO Hustles is a woman that is a go-getter, goal-driven, risk-taker, advocate for herself, walk and talks like a BOSS, and has values and principles.
Connect on Social Media:
Instagram Social Media Handle: @childwelfaresocialworker
Website: https://linktr.ee/childwelfaresocialworker
