KaDeidra Baker

Informational Interview
I recently reached out to Ms. Sarah Clore. Ms. Clore is a 2005 Wake Forest graduate.
During her undergraduate career she double majored in English and Womens and Gender
Studies. Upon her graduation she moved to New York where she began working within the
public school system. Her work in New York schools prompted her to go back to school. In
2012, she obtained her Masters of Social Work from Columbia University. Ms. Clore currently
works as a middle school social worker in New York. Prior to this, she was a student activities
coordinator at a school in New York. While working as a student activities coordinator at the
school, she began to take an immediate interest in social work. She reached out to the schools
social worker as well as the guidance counselors who pointed her in the direction of the part-time
program at Columbia that would allow her to continue working at the school while obtaining her
Masters degree.
Speaking to Ms. Clore was truly a treat. When asked about a typical work day for her, she
noted that in school social work there is no typical work day which she loves! During the
morning, she often does more administrative work. She has meetings with parents, does
paperwork, etc. She notes that schools are typically calmer during the morning over other times
of the day. Around lunch time and for much of the afternoon she counsels students both in groups
and individually, dependent upon the students needs. Ms. Clore notes, as one would expect, you
often have to be very flexible in doing school social work as certain issues may be more pressing
at certain times depending upon the issue. According to Ms. Clore, the most meaningful part of
her job is helping students. She enjoys watching change happen and connecting both students
and parents to resources and other opportunities that they may not have known about otherwise.
Something very interesting to me that Ms. Clore pointed out was that sometimes she finds it
difficult to be on the front lines of progress rather than behind the scenes making policies and
legislative decisions that impact the students. This insight was particularly helpful to me, in that,
I have been going back and forth between law and social work.
While social work is still of great interest to me, speaking with Ms. Clore made me
realize that I would probably be best suited for the legal side of things. I have always enjoyed
playing a more behind the scenes role, which would be less possible being a social worker. It
was definitely interesting to me to hear about the great overlap between the fields, and then hear
this distinction in this way. It definitely put a lot into perspective for me. Additionally, Ms. Clore
specifically pointed out that her role in her particular school in New York requires her to have an
understanding of systematic racial and economic issues of urban education. This was definitely
interesting to me. While I definitely see how this is helpful in her job, I wonder how one would
acquire this knowledge, as it is not something that is necessarily taught in many classrooms. I
also wonder how many social workers do not have knowledge of the systematic barriers that
some people face that others do not and how that impacts their own work.
Like a great deal of speakers and text have explained to us throughout the semester, we
are not bound by our majors or even our first jobs out of undergrad. Speaking to Ms. Clore was
definitely reflective of that as well. In fact, she noted that during her undergraduate career, she
knew that she enjoyed volunteering and working with youth, however she didnt necessarily

know that it was called social work. She noted that after college she worked for a teaching
program in New York that became her gateway into public schools and eventually led her into
social work a field that she didnt even know that her interests fell under! Overall, this was a
very helpful experience. While I am not as interested in social work as I once was, I am happy in
knowing that I have Ms. Clore as a resource if I have any further questions regarding the field!
Thank you email