From Service to Advocacy: How UofL’s Online DSW Is Helping Lindsay Gutierrez Lead Change

Lindsay Gutierrez’s path to social work has been anything but conventional. From studying theater to serving in the U.S. Air Force to becoming a living organ donor and advocate, each experience has helped shape her commitment to serving others. 

Today, Gutierrez is building on those experiences as a student in the University of Louisville’s (UofL) online Doctor of Social Work (DSW) program, where she is developing the leadership skills to turn that commitment into meaningful change. 

Finding a calling in social work 

Gutierrez earned her bachelor’s degree in theater and later completed a master’s degree in human relations while serving in the Air Force. During a deployment in 2014, her experiences helped her recognize that she wanted a career centered on helping others. 

After leaving the Air Force in 2016, she pursued a master’s degree in social work and began building a career rooted in service, advocacy and human connection. 

“I feel like I knew I was made for more whenever I was in the Air Force,” Gutierrez said. “It was a series of moments all coming together. And I knew this was it. This is where I need to be.” 

Those experiences ultimately led her toward social work and advocacy,  and later to UofL. 

Finding the right online DSW program 

As a working adult with a family and an established career, Gutierrez knew flexibility would be essential if she returned to school. 

She was already familiar with online education, having completed two previous graduate programs online. When she began exploring Doctor of Social Work programs, UofL stood out. 

“UofL was like the perfect combination of everything,” Gutierrez said. “That’s why I chose UofL; for the flexibility, for school being online, the leadership route, knowing that there was the practicum and then there was the capstone.” 

For Gutierrez, the online DSW format allows graduate education to fit alongside her professional responsibilities, family and advocacy work. 

That flexibility also requires intentionality. She has learned to recognize when she works best to create dedicated time for coursework and maintain time for herself. 

Her professors, she said, understand that online doctoral students are often balancing multiple responsibilities and have worked to create a supportive learning environment. 

Developing a new kind of social work leader 

One of the most meaningful parts of Gutierrez’s UofL experience has been discovering what leadership can look like. 

Her goal is not necessarily a traditional executive role. Instead, she wants to use leadership to strengthen her work as an advocate. 

“You don’t have to have this specific title,” Gutierrez said. “You can still be that person and use these skill sets from your DSW.” 

Gutierrez hopes to continue working in social work, particularly in advocacy surrounding living organ donations. As a dual living organ donor herself, she has firsthand experience with the challenges donors can encounter. 

Her advocacy includes raising awareness of living donors’ experiences, supporting donor communities and engaging with efforts aimed at improving policies and resources. 

“I feel like UofL is really prepping me for this next role in this leadership position as an advocate,” she said. 

Turning learning into real-world impact 

For Gutierrez, the lessons from the online DSW program are not limited to the classroom. 

She has applied what she is learning through her professional work, organ donor outreach, legislative advocacy and her involvement with the U.S. Armed Forces transplant community. 

Her leadership practicum provided an opportunity to connect her doctoral studies directly to her advocacy work, allowing her to develop skills while contributing to causes that already matter deeply to her. 

That ability to connect academic learning with real-world action has helped Gutierrez see her next chapter more clearly. 

Faculty who help students find their voice 

Gutierrez also credits UofL faculty with helping her recognize strengths she did not always see in herself. 

Professor Shanice Miller, in particular, encouraged Gutierrez to share her story and recognize that her experiences could help bring attention to issues that need a stronger voice. 

“My professors have seen some amazing things that I didn’t see myself and have really prompted me to showcase that aspect in my work,” Gutierrez said. 

That encouragement has helped her become more confident not only in what she has accomplished, but in how she can use those experiences to serve others. 

Creating change through social work leadership 

Gutierrez’s journey has taken her through the arts, military service, social work, organ donation and advocacy. Rather than viewing those experiences as disconnected chapters, she now sees how each helped prepare her for what comes next. 

Through UofL’s online Doctor of Social Work program, she is gaining tools to turn those experiences into leadership. 

“I hope it inspires somebody just to make a change in their community somehow,” Gutierrez said. “Make a change and be that something for somebody else. Just really think about how your choices can impact somebody in a positive way.” 

For Gutierrez, that is what leadership, and specifically social work, is ultimately about. 

Learn more about UofL’s online DSW program here, or start your application today!