Hannah (Davis ’19) Oller

Social Work

Biography

Hello! I am a TU Social Work grad who moved to Chicago and is currently working as an LCSW for the Northwestern Medicine Lung Transplant team - the first COVID transplants in the world! Following my time at Taylor, I entered my Master's program at Loyola University, completed my MSW practicum at Lakeview Pantry, and then took a trauma therapy position for Catholic Charities - all of which lead to my current position. I am so grateful for the ways Taylor, my residence hall wing, my professors, and social work as a whole has shaped me and seen me through many new seasons.

What were some of your most valuable experiences at Taylor?

I loved my social work practicums! I had amazing placements with World Relief in Chicago and a junior practicum in the Bahamas, all thanks to the social work department. I also grew through being a member of the local community, volunteering through Realife Ministries in Marion, and soaking in Upland!

How did your classes or interactions with professors at Taylor impact your growth?

When I arrived at Taylor, I knew I wanted to use my career to care for others and I knew a few strengths of mine, but being poured into and having others call out the good they saw in me really helped me visualize what a career in social work could look like. My career path continues to change, but I enter each new role with more confidence in my abilities because of the strong foundation I built at Taylor.

How can Taylor graduates use their unique Taylor education and its liberal arts foundational core as an asset in your discipline?

In many settings I enter, I am either the only Christian someone knows, or the first positive experience they have had with a Christian in quite a while. My training in social work while at Taylor is rooted in who Jesus is and how we are empowered to love others best through Him. Because of my training, I can bring the peace of Jesus into rooms where He is so needed.

What advice or encouragement could you provide for Taylor students in your vocational discipline?

Take the opportunities that come your way and don't get caught up in how they all fit together or how it will accomplish your plans. The irony in my life right now is that I can barely get through my own medical needs without feeling faint, and yet, I now work with patients in the ICU. Jesus lets me walk into people's hardest days and offer them His peace. This is not where I thought I would be, but Jesus is faithful and I am so grateful the Taylor social work program prepared me for such a range of opportunities.