Winter SSW grad looks to make global impact
Ashley Myles studied in the UNC School of Social Work, where she focused on inequities in global and maternal health.
Growing up in rural Siler City, Ashley Myles always longed to see more of the world, to experience other cultures and, ultimately, to make a difference.
After receiving a bachelor’s degree at UNC-Wilmington, Myles set out on a journey to do just that. She taught English classes in Thailand for a year. Later, she moved to Guatemala and worked with female artisans, facilitating connections in America for them to market their products and become breadwinners for their families. In between, Myles taught high school social studies in North Carolina.
All those experiences opened Myles’ eyes to the world and made her realize the scope of inequities in global health and the effects of colonization. Hungry to make even more of an impact, Myles turned to UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Social Work.
Myles took part in the School of Social Work’s three-year MSW program, which allowed her to earn her master’s degree part time while also working for Operation Smile. That global nonprofit specializes in delivering safe cleft surgery and comprehensive cleft care services in middle- and low-income countries.
Myles will graduate in December after studying social work and specializing in inequities in global health and maternal health.
“I was able to continue working in my role at Operation Smile and do the program at the same time, which I’m not quite sure I would have been able to do — if not for the three-year program,” Myles said.
Ashley Myles alongside her fellow partners with nonprofit Operation Smile. (Submitted photo)
“The School of Social Work was really awesome about eliminating barriers for people who need to be working while they’re in school.”
Myles said her favorite part of the program was discovering the diverse experiences of her classmates. Some came straight from undergrad, while others, like Myles, had already embarked on two or three career paths. Social work is a broad field, and Myles made friends with classmates who studied vastly different topics, like substance abuse or eating disorders.
“I think the School of Social Work was probably the first formalized education setting that I had been in where we really dove into equity and systemic barriers,” Myles said. “Those are the kinds of things I talked about with my friends all the time or in my workplace, but it had never been formalized for me in an academic setting.
“I really enjoyed that aspect, diving into that in a more academic way, and it has shifted my ways of thinking and my perspective on not just things that I work in, but really my whole life.”
Myles had already worked for Operation Smile for three years before enrolling at Carolina, and she plans to continue working for the organization after graduation. Myles recently received a promotion at Operation Smile in which she’ll be managing comprehensive care services for patients, which include nutrition, speech therapy, psychosocial care and oral health.
This past summer, she also had the opportunity to combine her studies with her work.
“I did my second practicum placement actually through my work,” Myles said. “There I created the beginning of a program that would focus on supporting parents and caregivers because that’s something we definitely do, but we needed a more formalized way to do it. When a parent has a patient that they’re bringing in, they’re going through this whole experience as well.
“I’m really hoping to use my social work degree to get that off the ground and work on enhancing the way that we can support not just our patients but caregivers throughout that life cycle.”
