Mary Yank, Social Worker at St. Luke's Medical Center
"My name is Mary Yank and I've been a Social Worker at St. Luke's Medical Center in Milwaukee for 32 years. As I was deciding what to major in at Marquette too many years ago to fathom, I looked through the list of options and came across Social Work. I wasn't even aware this was a job but the description clicked immediately. I had always felt so blessed in my life, taking for granted my safe, supportive middle-class lifestyle. I never experienced mental or physical illness, racism or discrimination, abuse or hardship of any kind. So helping folks who were facing these situations became not only a major and a career but a passion. It's how I'm "built". The great thing about Social Work is you can get a job in so many settings with so many different populations. I never thought I'd enjoy working in the jail with the mentally ill, my first position, but I loved it! And I never thought I'd want to work with the elderly or terminally ill but that's what I've been doing for 32 years now and I still enjoy going to work every day. I help people navigate an extremely stressful, bewildering, and often heartbreaking time in their or their loved one's life. I make sure they have as safe a plan when they are discharged, whether that's at home, a shelter, a nursing facility, or hospice. I also intervene with legal and financial issues, addiction, family dynamics, domestic violence, housing needs, and basically anything a patient is dealing with not involving their medical treatment. Every day is different and interesting and requires continuous problem-solving."