Madison Paz graduated from the UMSL School of Social Work, Psychological and Brain Sciences with an MSW this summer. Paz was greatly influenced by her mother, a special education teacher, and her late grandfather George Paz, an alum and longtime supporter of UMSL. She is now working full-time as an adolescent therapist at the Logos School. (Photo courtesy of Madison Paz)
As Madison Paz crossed the stage during May’s commencement ceremony at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, she felt the presence of her beloved late grandfather George Paz.
George, an UMSL alum and champion of the university, rose from humble beginnings to become CEO of Express Scripts. The impact he made on UMSL and St. Louis is undeniable, but his greatest achievement was, perhaps, the example he set for his own family. When Madison earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology, he was there to wrap her in a big hug, and that memory came flooding back this spring in Mark Twain Athletic Center.
“I just felt like he was there,” she said. “When I was walking across the stage this time, I was remembering it. It was definitely bittersweet. After commencement, I went over to the business building where his portrait is on the wall, and I took a picture next to it. I was like, ‘We both did it now.’”
Madison Paz graduated from the School of Social Work, Psychological and Brain Sciences with an MSW this summer – an accomplishment that was hard earned. Paz struggled with her mental health as an undergraduate, which affected her grades. But she persevered, rebuilding her GPA through UMSL’s Life Long Learner Program and excelling academically. Now she’s pursuing her calling as an adolescent therapist at the Logos School and giving back to the St. Louis community, just as her grandfather did, the best way she knows how.
“It was always hard for me to understand why so many people knew my grandpa when I was growing up, so then when he passed away, it felt so shocking to really try to comprehend how much of an impact he had on so many people and places,” Paz said. “I’m definitely grateful that I do have the privilege of feeling so connected with him. Anytime I was going to class and would walk past his picture, I would feel like he was still around, and it felt amazing. So, part of my drive is to live up to the expectations and goals he had for everyone – everyone in our family, but also St. Louis as a whole.”
Paz was also greatly influenced by her mother, a longtime special educator. Growing up in suburban Chicago, Paz would often accompany her to school and interact with her students. Those formative experiences sparked a passion for helping others, and after taking psychology and sociology courses in high school, she developed an interest in the mental health field. That led to the undergraduate psychology program at Saint Louis University.
“I think everyone in my family knew I was going to end up in St. Louis because it really has been just like home to me,” she said.
Initially, Paz contemplated a future in psychiatry, but an internship at the Logos School changed the course of her academic and professional career. The private school offers specialized education for middle and high school students through personalized therapeutic and academic programs. It provides an alternative for students who might need more support than a traditional school setting is able to offer.
After completing the internship, Paz stayed on board as a member of the support staff. She started in the therapeutic and academic support center but quickly became a “jack of all trades,” taking every opportunity to work as an assistant in classrooms. The work was rewarding, and it pointed her toward social work. However, she was unsure if furthering her education would be a possibility given the challenges she faced as an undergraduate student.
“I always knew that no matter what path I chose, it would require another degree,” she said. “The Paz family, we’re overachievers. But I struggled with my mental health in undergrad. I had a really rough time, and so my GPA reflected that. It made it hard for me to feel like I was able to go back to school, but through the support of my family, I knew I wanted to. I was looking at schools and felt like UMSL really fit with what I wanted out of the school.”
But there was still the matter of her transcript. Paz anticipated difficulties gaining admission to the Graduate School at UMSL but applied anyway. As expected, her application was denied. But Paz connected with Diane O’Brien, director of the MSW program, who pointed her toward the Life Long Learner Program. The unique initiative allows students to take credit-bearing courses for career advancement, personal enrichment or preparation for graduate admission without being enrolled in a degree program.
Paz aced two semesters in the program and then matriculated to the MSW program in the School of Social Work, Psychological and Brain Sciences. It proved to be a supportive environment where Paz could flourish. She quickly found inspiration among the faculty, including Associate Professor Annah Bender, Professor Joe Pickard, Assistant Professor Renata Sledge and Associate Professor Florian Sichling.
“I love Joe Pickard,” she said. “I took all of my foundation courses with him, and he really became a mentor to me. I feel like I learned so much from his classes that I still reflect on. The way he taught really meshed well with my learning style.”
An economics class also provided an unexpected source of professional motivation. The coursework illustrated the faults within certain systems, frustrating Paz as a future social worker. Sichling, her advisor, conveyed that no one can be the single change maker in the world. He encouraged her to take that knowledge and implement the changes she could at the micro level. Paz took that advice into practicum experiences with Pathways to Independence and then Logos School.
Paz was able to work with an adult client population at Pathways to Independence, an organization that supports the development of skills to positively impact the lives of individuals with disabilities. It was illuminating, but the experience also solidified Paz’s desire to work with young people. At Logos, she applied theory and lessons from the MSW program in the real world.
“I had so many ‘aha’ moments throughout my practicum the more I learned,” she said. “There were days where I was like, ‘Oh my god! I didn’t realize that all of this time I had been implementing XYZ.’ Or I learned about this approach more in depth, and now this is completely reframing how I am approaching my workday or approaching specific types of students that I maybe had struggled with in the past.”
Paz passed her Licensed Master Social Worker exam this summer and is now serving in a full-time role as an adolescent therapist at Logos. In doing so, she has proven just how capable and tenacious she is and honored her grandfather’s memory.
“I’m really grateful for UMSL giving me the opportunity to earn my MSW and providing the Lifelong Learner Program, so that I could prove I’m not what my GPA was,” Paz said. “I love my grandpa. I think it’s very hard to live up to his legacy, but I will do the best that I can with my power to make changes the way that he would, and right now, that’s being an adolescent therapist.”
