Trending
By JOSELYN KING
WHEELING -- Social worker Unique Robinson Murphy says she is "still growing" in her role as Communities In Schools liaison for Ohio County Schools.
Murphy, 25, is assigned to Wheeling Park High School -- the high school she graduated from in 2015. It's also the place where she met her now husband Brandon when she was a freshman and he was a junior.
The couple now have a 4-month-old daughter, Wren.
Murphy's motto in life is "still growing."
"I have this tattooed on my forearm as a reminder that I am always growing and learning -- mentally, physically, and emotionally," she explained. "There will never be a time when I am the same, so this motto is something I live by.
"In life we make mistakes, we learn lessons from those mistakes, and then we grow and take those lessons with us."
Murphy's job entails assisting students with whatever needs they might have.
"At Wheeling Park High School, my schedule is need-based, but my typical day consists of meetings to find out and resolve student needs, (including) resource connection, and individual assistance or counseling.
"I have an abundance of students who need connected with varying resources such as housing, a job, utility assistance, access to food, hygiene products, and/or clothes. Many of our students at the high school are not living in the healthiest environments, so I am often assisting them in any way that I can to benefit them."
Murphy is a Wheeling native who went away then chose to return to the Ohio Valley.
"I graduated from Wheeling Park High School in 2015 and went to Marshall University to 'escape' the valley and all of the negativity I had grown up experiencing," she explained. "After my college graduation, I had a realization of how important it was for me to take my passion as a social worker back to my hometown. I felt it necessary to bring back all that I had learned and experienced in Huntington being around all of the people from various cultures, ethnicities, and socio-economic backgrounds at my university."
She added that when the opportunity arose for her to return and work for Ohio County Schools, she did not hesitate.
"As a student, I had always felt overlooked by teachers, staff, and even friends and their parents, because I wasn't a troublemaker," she continued. "I wasn't poorly dressed, or appearing physically or emotionally in distress.
"Behind the scenes however, I was struggling with an addict mother, an incarcerated father, and although my mother and her family did their best to provide stability, we lived in poverty and struggled."
Robinson said she made the decision to return to Ohio County and stay because she knew "there were many, many, more kids like me in the county who needed to be identified and assisted."
"It is incredibly important for these kids to feel seen and heard, and I know that first hand," she added. "Additionally, our county and staff have an abundance of resources and connections that can be utilized to legitimately change the lives of many of these kids, so I genuinely could not think of a better place to be employed."
There are many bright spots in the Ohio Valley, she continued.
"We can be such a tight-knit community when we want to be," Murphy said. "This place and the resources we have available at the palm of our hands is amazing. I specifically want to highlight our small businesses in Centre Market, center and downtown Wheeling, East Wheeling, and Elm Grove. The small business owners in all of these areas are so amazing.
"These people are so incredibly generous and helpful when it comes to anything education related. I do a lot of community events like the Textured Hair Expo, the prom and homecoming events, and snack donation drives, and I have received the majority of support and volunteers for all these events from small businesses in the Wheeling area -- hair salons, clothing shops, etc."
Her advice to those just entering the workforce is that "representation matters."
"What one person cannot relate to in your appearance, your drive, or your will, 10 others will appreciate and need to experience in order to thrive in their roles," Murphy explained. "Often, I have kids who better relate to me versus other staff because I look like them, I talk like them, and/or I can relate to something they've experienced or have been traumatized by.
"Also, I would advise them to not get discouraged when your initial career plan does not work out. If it is a degree or certification that you've earned and you've received a job in that field but for whatever reason it isn't making you happy or feeding your drive, don't be afraid to address the issue or start over somewhere else. You will find your path and you will succeed."
Murphy often collaborates with organizations in the area such as the ELKs Lodge, the Men of Change, Junior League of Wheeling, YSS, YWCA, and the Tri-County Women's Shelter.
During her career she has learned there will "always be someone who doesn't agree with your creativity or ideas."
"And that's okay, but that shouldn't stop you from doing what you know will benefit your consumers," she added.
Murphy described social work as a very diverse field where there is room for many with different ways of thought.
"We are equipped with tools to handle a variety of situations which allows us opportunities to thrive in various employment positions," she explained. "This field is continuously growing and positions like mine are becoming more prominent state-wide in schools. Social workers are essential for the healthy physical, mental, and social development of our students, so I foresee more kids taking on social work as their major in college."