Samantha Urbino '18

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Samantha Urbino holding a child — Samantha Urbino '18

Samantha Urbino '18

Emergency After-Hours Recruiter and Homefinder, Child and Family Services

Hometown: Buffalo, NY

Studied while at Siena: Bachelor’s in Social Work, minor in Criminal Justice and Psychology

Current Involvement:

National Association of Social Work, traveling, volunteering with local organizations

Involvement while at Siena:

National Association of Social Work, Siena Mentoring Program, Siena Tour Guide

How do you involve yourself in your community?

Being present. I try to attend as many events as possible whether that's just attending, volunteering or recruiting as part of my current job.

Describe a typical day in your life.

I typically wake up around 5-5:30 AM (thanks to my dog) and get ready for the day. I drop my dog off at daycare and then head to work. I currently work in foster care so my day is always different. It is normally filled with home visits to foster homes, supervising visits between children and their parents, attending meetings or catching up on paperwork. After work, I normally go to class. I am in the process of obtaining my Master’s in Special Education. I finish my day by watching Grey’s Anatomy and getting ready for the following day.

How did your Siena education prepare you for the work you’re doing today?

Siena gave me hands-on and real life experiences while instilling strong core values. The values that come to mind are person-centered care, inclusion and compassion towards others. All of these things that were present at Siena, helped shape me into the social worker that I am today

Describe your professional progression since leaving Siena.

I began as a preventative case worker in Albany while coordinating a multi-disciplinary team for a child advocacy center. In December of 2019, I decided it was time for me to move back home to Buffalo. I accepted a job as a case planner in foster care and adoption. I spent a little under two years there when I decided it was time to move on. I accepted a position in a public school as a Social Emotional Coordinator which led me to go back to school to obtain my Master’s in Special Education. Unfortunately, my schedule within the school was unable to work with my class schedule. So, after a brief hiatus, I went back to foster care and adoption where I am still currently!

SIENA FAVORITES

Siena Professor: Donna McIntosh (who is now retired). Being away from home, at times it was difficult. Donna, a Buffalo native, made sure I always had a piece of home with me. Whether it was talking about the weather, talking about the Bills, or just listening to my struggles. I’m not sure I could have done it without her!
Class: Reentering Society or Relationship Violence
Location: Casey’s, specifically the pool table
Study-break Food: Definitely a Casey’s chicken finger wrap. I actually just went to visit Siena about a month ago, and it was the first thing I got! They still taste just as good.
Residence Hall: Plassman, just because I lived there for two years and had so many good memories!
Class Year: Senior year! I got to live with my absolute best friends who I am lucky to still be doing life with. Our group has gone through two weddings, one baby and one move across the country but senior year at Siena has given me life long memories and friends!
Food in the Dining Hall: Limmy omelet
Favorite Memory: Spending every Saturday and every summer with the Siena Mentoring Program! Each day was a new adventure and full of laughter and love. I am forever grateful for that program!

Advice for current Saints:

Enjoy your time at Siena while you can because unfortunately it will be over before you know it. Siena is truly a once in a lifetime experience!

Career advice for current students:

It’s okay to not know what you want to do! There is plenty of time to find your career path, so in the meantime try different jobs and see what works best for you. The good thing is, you NEVER have to stay at a job because there will always be another opportunity waiting for you!