Returning to school can be daunting for many students, especially after years spent in different careers. For Pam Gawley, GSS ‘25, the choice to pursue a Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) at Fordham University was not just a career shift but a personal journey.
“I wanted to go back to school to learn the skills that would enable me to make the greatest impact when working with others,” she said.
And this summer, that impact wasn’t limited to the tri-state—or the United States, for that matter. Gawley took her learning experience abroad through Fordham GSS’s London Summer Program—a two-week immersion that redefined her understanding of social work and herself.
“I didn’t get to go abroad in college, which was a big regret of mine,” Gawley said. “It’s something I’ve wanted to do my whole life. I jumped on it.”
A Program Made for Students
While meeting with a classmate for lunch during the spring semester, Gawley learned that Fordham M.S.W. students can earn six credits toward their degree in just two weeks across the pond. The incredible value pushed her to put her name down.
“I just couldn’t believe it,” Gawley said.
Pam Gawley outside the Fordham London Campus.
And the coursework’s brevity doesn’t diminish its quality. The program truly is an immersive experience. Students take their classes in Fordham’s London Centre, built in 2018 and equipped with smart classrooms, conference rooms, and a student lounge—all in the heart of Clerkenwell, located in London’s financial district.
Students also tour local London settlement houses Oxford House, Toynbee Hall, and Coin Street Community Builders. Coursework is thoughtfully paired with the visits to educate students about the foundations of social work and how it has changed since the 19th century.
“The professors and administrators put their heart and soul into this program,” Gawley said. “I can’t say enough about how the program was run and how the classes were taught.”
Gawley appreciated the settlement house focus, as it was an area of social work she hadn’t studied before. She explained that it set the context for the profession today, even if a student doesn’t plan to enter a similar organization upon graduating.
“It’s such a rich topic and so relevant to understanding the profession,” she said. “It’s really worth spending time on. It’s the history of social work.”
An Irreplaceable Connection
Studying at a school with thousands of students, in a city with millions from all over the world, there is no shortage of networking opportunities at Fordham University. However, Gawley said, the London program was different.
The cohort of almost 30 students was “in their own bubble” for the two-week trip. Gawley, who attends Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus, got to bond with classmates from the Westchester and Long Island campuses Fordham GSS offers—which doesn’t always happen when schedules are hectic.
“We’re literally meeting for drinks next week,” Gawley said of her London friends. “We’ve all become really good friends in a very different way.”
But Gawley admitted she was a bit intimidated by her classmates at first. Gawley is a 58-year-old mother of three, and most (but not all!) of her classmates on the trip were younger. Gawley watched them navigate the London Center’s tech and bustling streets with ease. There were times when she found it difficult to keep up.
“I learned that when you do something new, old insecurities can come back quickly. I felt like everyone was smarter than me. They work so fast. They’re so good on the computer,” Gawley said. “It gave me insight into how someone must feel who may be new in the country and doesn’t know the language, or as a young child in a new school.
Being immersed in this experience will stick with her. She’d never traveled abroad by herself, and she was suddenly experiencing a different country with all new people. It reminded her of why it is so important for social workers to focus on the person and the environment. Being in a totally new environment can quickly change who you think you are.
“It gave me a tremendous insight into social work,” she said. “When you take a person out of their environment and you put them in a new one, they’re completely vulnerable. I was proof of it.”
For Gawley, the London experience was a microcosm of the Fordham GSS—and wider social work—experience. Colleagues will be younger, older, and everything in between—but they’re all working toward the same goal: make the world a better place.
“I made great friends. I had great fun. I went out a lot. I studied hard. I learned new things about technology, but most of all I was reminded about how it felt to exist in a totally unfamiliar situation. All of these things are going to be really useful tools for me in social work.” she said.
A Journey to Social Work
Gawley’s journey to social work began years before this trip. After a successful career as a sales director in the hospitality industry in Manhattan, she found herself yearning for more meaningful work. She started an interfaith nonprofit on Long Island, which drew her toward a more service-based career trajectory.
Later, Gawley worked for ParentChild+, a nonprofit that works with early literacy for underserved families. For six years, she made biweekly home visits to help parents with children from 18 months to four years old. One day, she got some sage advice from her neighbor, who had a doctorate in social work.
“I had a neighbor who suggested I go back and get my degree in social work,” Gawley said. “She said, you’re already doing a lot of social work, but you have no framework to operate within. Go back and get your degree in social work, and then you can put all of this to use as a professional.”
With her youngest child entering his senior year of high school, the timing felt right for a change.
“I just love it, and I’m so happy I did it,” she said. “I want to be able to do different things. I feel really proud that I will have the credentials to do it.”
Gawley’s family is supportive of her journey. She commutes to class from Long Island with her husband, who works near Fordham’s campus. Her older children currently attend Fordham’s Law School, and she frequently meets them for meals near campus. Grounding herself in family activities keeps her motivated as she balances her studies with home life.
Now, as she prepares for her future in social work, she looks back at her experience in London as a pivotal moment.
“The whole experience was amazing for me,” she said. “It put me in a position that I haven’t been in so, so long.”
