Matt Hanson served in the Army National Guard for nearly a decade – on a mostly fulltime/active duty basis and rising to the rank of captain. At one point, he and the soldiers under his command helped facilitate the integration and resettlement of 13,000 Afghan evacuees after the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan.
Now, Matt finds himself inside the classroom as a first-year student in the Full-Time MSW program. “I have loved every second of the program so far,” Matt says. “The intellectual and even the personal challenges of my own existing beliefs have been exceptional for my growth as a person.”
After nine years serving his country, he turned attention to serving people as a future social worker, in part, because of his own experiences with social workers as a soldier.
“There I was, 26 years old, responsible for the wellbeing of all these soldiers while struggling with my own mental health post-deployment,” he said. Fortunately, the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs assigned teams of Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW) across the State to support mental health across the force.
“I incorporated our social worker into training events and created opportunities for soldiers to connect and got amazing results.”
Matt also benefited from the work of a social worker.
“When we came home from our deployment, a year had passed, and the world had kept moving without us,” he said. “I was struggling mentally and physically with my new realities and was introduced to a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who saved my life.”
Most of Matt’s experiences as an adult had revolved around his military service. That is, until the implementation of the Department of Defense policy known as “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness,” targeting transgender and gender non-conforming individuals earlier this year. Matt decided he could no longer hide his gender identity. “While previously keeping secret my own gender identity and my own queerness – I refused to stand idly by and continue to benefit from passing,” he said.
As a result, his military separation is pending. “In the wake of my separation, I dedicate my future endeavors to bettering the world for all people and future generations.”
“The meaningful connections I made [in the military] and saw with people from all walks of life, inspired me to change the world. I dedicated nearly a decade of my life to serving this country. I recognized my calling to dedicate the rest of my life to serving its people as a social worker,” Matt says.
Matt is in his first semester of the MSW program. “My peers and my professors have come from all walks of life, and it has felt incredibly humbling and empowering as a result.”
His Field Placement with Common Wealth Development feels especially apt for his interests. He is working in Adult Workforce Development and supports the Dane County Joining Forces for Families social worker. He co-facilitates a jobs workshop and connects community members with resources and services. He is drawn to future work in the VA and is also interested in social equity and economic development.
“I view social work as the vehicle with which we change our immediate environments and shape the world and look forward to reflecting at the end of my career at where I started,” he said.