The New Social Worker Vol. 20, No. 1, Winter 2013 | Page 5

Student Role Model

Sean Hudson

Anyone with preconceived notions about
foster care children will
need to rethink them
when meeting Sean
Hudson. The 22-yearold, who obtained his
BSW last month at the
University of Alabama
at Tuscaloosa, has won
academic honors, served
the community, and
garnered research experience beyond his years.
Confident, but not
brash, he was a little
befuddled at the time
of this interview by one
thing—how to train his
newly adopted tuxedo kitten, Charlie. But
Hudson, who will start
graduate school at the
University of Chicago,
School of Social Service
Administration in April,
is adept at overcoming
challenges.

He entered foster care in his native
Alabama after suffering
emotional abuse within
his biological family.
“My mother finding out
that I was gay made it
worse,” he says.

After a rough
adjustment period and
unsuccessful placements, he was put in
the foster home he
considers “home.” “My
foster mother—a single
parent who had three
other foster children I
call my ‘brothers’—and I
are very close,” Hudson
says. “She tries to do
whatever she can for
me.”

One reason he was
drawn to social work
was that “things needed
to be changed in the

by Barbara Trainin Blank

foster care system, and who better than a
social worker to do it?” he asks.

Hudson was also interested in advocacy—for first-generation college students
and the LBGTQ community, especially
African Americans, among others. “I
have a passion for social justice,” he says.
Hudson also has a passion for learning;
he was both an Emerging Scholar and
McNair Scholar in college. The Emerging Scholars program creates research
partnerships between students and UA
faculty. The McNair program is a U.S.
Department of Education initiative that
helps students prepare to be competitive
for and successful in doctoral study.

As an Emerging Scholar in 20092010, with Professor Debra NelsonGardell as principal investigator, he
evaluated the programs of 170 nonprofit
organizations that deal with child abuse
prevention.

Nelson-Gardell, associate professor
of social work, evaluated his Emerging
Scholar program and mentored Hudson
during his McNair scholarship. For the
latter, he conceptualized and implemented a full-scale research project. “I was
proud to co-author a manuscript, now
in the McNair Scholar publication, with
Sean,” she says. “He completes tasks
completely wonderfully. He asks for
feedback and uses it incredibly well, and
is incredibly hard working.”

Other students may initially be
“taken back” by Hudson’s lack of shyness,
she adds. “But though he’s sure of himself,
he’s not overbearing. He’s very engaging.
One of Sean’s biggest strengths is his ability to network, connect with people.”

As director of UA’s McNair Scholars
program, Professor Naomi Campbell
wrote a recommendation for Hudson
and taught three of his McNair seminars.

“A standout during the selection
process, Sean also excelled throughout
the program,” says Campbell. This is
especially notable, since he was admitted
to McNair as a sophomore. Students are
usually not competitive for the program
until their junior or senior years.

“But he is unusual,” adds Campbell,
“in his defined research interests, work
habits, and commitment to excellent

Sean Hudson
work in the service of important goals.
But he’s friendly, outgoing, and approachable. He never loses sight of
the point he is trying to achieve, or his
warmth and good humor.... His energy is
indefatigable.”

Hudson was one of only 12 undergraduates campus-wide who comprised
the University’s 2011 cohort of McNair
Scholars. He was recognized for his
personal “success story” as a foster youth
and his advocacy on behalf of all foster
youth, including an interview on CNN.

Of the many academic honors he
received, Hudson is most proud of two:
the Martin Luther King, Jr. Realizing
Your Dream Horizon Award and the
Influencing State Policy BSW Essay
Writing Award. He also appeared before
the State House of Representatives to
advocate for a tuition waiver bill for
foster youth with at least a 2.5 GPA or a
GED who will attend public colleges or
universities in the state.

Hudson plans to go into social administration. At first he considered clinical work, but now he is more inclined
toward policy and research—perhaps
working in government or heading his
own agency or think tank.

But, characteristic of his “indefatigable energy,” Hudson also plans
Hudson—continued on page 22

The New Social Worker

Winter 2013

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