Anaysha Hawks has been working as a child welfare social worker and case manager for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s Child and Family Services Division since her graduation with her bachelor’s degree in social work in 2021.

For Hawks, whose parents met at Boise State, the program was first an attractive financial proposition.

“I’m a single parent and it made it so I could work three days a week,” she said. “The financial aspect was huge.”

Hawks earlier had contemplated nursing, then psychology or criminal justice. The scholars program introduced a career path she’d not considered.

“Child welfare was not on my radar at all. It wasn’t something I was actively pursuing,” she said.

After interning in case management and an earlier position in safety assessment, she has returned to case management — where she now has an intern following in her footsteps. It’s not always easy work, Hawks would be the first to admit. What it is, is meaningful.

“We’re not really sure why we like our jobs,” she said.

“At the end of the day, we’re making a difference.”

She recommends participation in the Title IV-E program frequently. She likes her colleagues, the variety — and when her parents left Idaho, she stayed. She is now applying to be accepted to the MSW program at Boise State.

“It started as a means to an end, but it has turned into an actual career,” she said. “I have a lot of career opportunities here.

“It wouldn’t be productive to go anyplace else right now.”

All music to the state’s ears.