Class of 2026: Kiersten ‘KiKi’ Szymecki zoomed out to find her path in social work

By Sian Wilkerson

Kiersten "Kiki" Szymecki has long felt a calling toward serving her community and bettering the larger world around her. As she receives her master's degree from Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Social Work this spring, she's ready to step toward her goal of a career in human rights advocacy.

Szymecki arrived at VCU intending to study social work, which often focuses on individual support. But it wasn't until she learned about the master's concentration in macro practice that she found the perfect path, one that emphasizes large-scale, systemic change.

"In my experiences - I worked at Eastern State Psychiatric Hospital as a behavioral health technician, I've been in hospitality my whole life, and even [with] my own family experiences - I had always seen how everybody has their own unique life experience, but there's still common patterns," Szymecki said.

Those patterns include "lack of resources, needing money, needing stable employment, needing mental and physical health resources, et cetera - we're seeing these patterns happen at the individual level," she said. Macro social work invites practitioners to "zoom out and try to analyze the root issue and do something about that."

Szymecki, who grew up in York County, studied psychology at Old Dominion University, earning her bachelor's degree in 2023. She said the field appealed to her curiosity "about people and the way we work and why we do the things that we do."

That curiosity was born in part from her years of working in the hospitality and food service industry, which Szymecki said have "taken me to a lot of different places … and helped instill the ability to react quickly, multitask and communicate and interact with lots of people coming from all different perspectives."

At VCU, Szymecki has participated in a number of internships. One was with the disAbility Law Center of Virginia, the designated protection and advocacy organization for the state, and she worked with individuals residing at state facilities - hospitals and prisons, among them - to ensure they understood their rights and to provide resource referrals.

The following summer, an internship with the International Rescue Committee allowed her to assist asylum seekers navigating the complexities of governmental and legal systems.

"Some of the things we would do is just take kids to get their prescription eyeglasses and then go for ice cream afterwards," Szymecki said. "It wasn't always just formality - sometimes it was just about experiencing joy and taking a moment to be human with another human."

As part of her specialization year with the School of Social Work, Szymecki was placed with the advocacy organization Mental Health Virginia. She worked in communications, helping to develop a newsletter, posting on social media and writing blog posts. She also developed a legislative tracker for bills related to mental health that are moving through the General Assembly.

Through those experiences, one of the biggest lessons Szymecki has learned is understanding that "no matter where I find myself, most of the time people are there because they're trying to do better," she said. "And it's difficult when you work within systems that don't always reflect that, so it's our job not to speak up for other folks but to amplify [for them]."

She said her VCU experience has solidified that commitment to serving others - and the world around them.

"Trying to be compassionate, trying to be patient, trying to be understanding, but also demanding better and knowing that there are opportunities to do good," Szymecki said. "You have to be radical with your imagination and create a better future that you're striving toward. Even if the path isn't perfect, you just have to keep going and try to empower others as well."