My day started at North Hall, where me and two other students, Julia and Sierra, were primed for some university transport, provided by MSW Program Director Stephen Cummings and Assistant Professor Aynsley Scheffert. We depart at 8:20, and Julia, Sierra and I get cracking about our plans for the future. Aynsley was loading us with information on her life trajectory and tips for work after graduating as a social worker, and Stephen gave me the lowdown on his experience teaching overseas.

It was 10:20 when we arrived at the Iowa State Historical Society building, or museum, really. The hanging biplanes and enormous mammoth skeleton made it seem that way. The place is packed with students, some I recognized and most I did not. A desk is set for us to check-in, and as we go through we are set up with nametags. There I find Rigby, a good friend I’ve had a couple classes with.

After a half-hour wait and a good deal of chit-chat, we are all ushered into a big lecture room. The smell could only be described as a used litterbox. Many struggle to hold their laughter, especially me, as a speaker tries to pull up their email, with increasingly less success. It’s kind of sad that in a room full of social workers, no one gets up on stage to help, but it was too funny. At one point the app-store was pulled up… Anyways, Dana Wickwire Cheek takes the stage, the Northeast Branch Chair for NASW Iowa, alongside Peggy Trosper, the Southeast Branch Chair, and Denise Rathman, the Executive Director for both the NASW Iowa and NASW Kansas Chapters. We get a good lecture on proper communication with legislators, which in the way they described it seems more like gambling than fruitful communication.

Here comes Ross Wilburn, a social work alumni of the University of Iowa and House Representative for the Story County District, alongside Johnson County Representative Adam Zabner. They’re here to answer questions, and oh boy are there a lot of them. I question Zabner about the progress of Senate File 2293 regarding the abolishment of the Iowa City Historical Society Building, asking “Where are the court proceedings and decisions at, and when can we expect the day for voting,” and though he gives a very descriptive assessment of the bill and what his future plans are, I don’t actually get a direct answer to my question. Should have been an easy one, considering Zabner is on the board supporting the continued funding of the Iowa City location.

I make it out of the lecture hall with a mild headache, courtesy of the litterbox smell, and grab my lunch. From there we set off to the capitol.

Iowa’s capitol is a great reason to be proud of our state. It’s consistently voted the most beautiful state capitol building in the states, and for good reason. Its massive golden dome is reason enough, but getting inside reveals its true beauty. Giant pillars made of scagliola stretch towards the ceiling, with capitals decorated by golden white oak leaves. Enormous murals depict settlers making their way into the west, religious imagery, native plants, and esoteric symbols, such as the roman god Mercury. Inside the senate chamber are four enormous chandeliers, each highly geometrical yet still so intricate I find them hard to describe. The ceiling is covered in more murals depicting flowers and leaves, with a stained glass window at the center.

By 1:15, we’ve made our way into the Senate chamber to watch the debate. We find
good spots in the gallery, and wait for the debate to begin. Senate files 2263 and 2280 are first up for debate. One senator uses hypothetical scenarios to defend his point, which becomes a theme for this senator. This is evident in the next file, which is refuted by another senator with concrete questioning and reasoning, making a very good case against the bill, but then our first senator stands up and goes on a rampage. He’s smacking his desk and practically screaming. I get so annoyed I decide it better to go explore the capitol.

I find the capitol library, a breathtaking space with books going up four floors flanking the walls. Aynsley finds me there and encourages me to write a message to a senator, but I just want to get up another floor, so I find a spiral staircase and ask two girls taking, suggestive pictures, and ask if I can go up. I’m good to go, so I walk through a gate I don’t notice and make my way around the first floor. I notice that I have to pass through an office to continue, until I find a woman in the second office. She immediately chastizes me and escorts me down, along with the two girls.

I figure it’s a sign to fill out a message, but I’ve forgotten my clipboard with all my notes in the senate gallery. I pull out the fastest speedwalk I can manage and make the confusing there and back. I address mine to the senator with the concrete argument. I wait and wait, but I am not offered the chance to go speak with him, cut short possibly by my previous effort to retrieve the clipboard and more probably by the picture scheduled on the main staircase at 3:00.

Just like that, the day is over. We file back into the van and I have a good nap on the way back, reflecting on how amazed I was at the capitol building, and conversely disappointed with the conduct of the senate chamber.

The post First Person POV of NASW “Legislative Day on the Hill,” February 24, 2026 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Jade Howser.

Received her Masters of Social Work at the University of Iowa.

Currently a TA for Gender and Society (taught by Professor Jenn Haylett).

When not studying, Jade works at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

Impressive, right? I know. We at KRUI feel the same way.

She’s a raging feminist badass and a complete joy to talk to. Here’s what Jade had to say at our lunch/interview:

Was there a point in your life when you knew you wanted to be a social worker?

Honestly, it’s all I’ve known. I actually got started in 2001. My brother was in the army and he was recruited to go to Iraq. And at the time, I knew there was faulty information being fed to us about the war. I knew from the beginning we had absolutely no business there. While all of this was happening, I was working at the police station in Des Moines and I saw a lot of cases of sexual assault. It was hard for me to see that dark side of the world we live in today… and I think I have always know I wasn’t meant to sit in a cubicle somewhere. I wanted to help survivors, not work within the system like a hamster on a wheel. At this point in time, I started to think about the systemic causes of issues and the broader context of those issues we tend to not even think about.

Who is your biggest influence/inspiration when it comes to stances on social justice?

Wow, that’s a hard question. There is a lot of people! The person that helped me the most would have to be Ilima Young-Dunn. She is the Director of Human Services Program at DMACC (Des Moines Community College) and helped me figure out what I wanted to do, like the School of Social Work at the University of Iowa. I worked in this field before I got my education. Ilima opened my eyes into intersectionality.

How long have you been a TA?

It’s my first semester! I learned about the Gender and Society TA position through the Sociology Department… They needed someone to be a TA, so they opened it up to other departments. And this is a major topic of interest for me, so of course I jumped at the opportunity! In addition, I aspire to work in academia, so this was my way of getting my foot in the door.

How long have you known Professor Haylett?

She actually just moved here! I met her on the first day of class because the Department Head of Sociology does all of the hiring. So this whole experience was very new for her too! We automatically bonded because we both had purple in our hair and similar tattoos!

Talk to me about where you work and what that’s like.

Well currently, I am doing practice at the College of Laws in the Immigration Clinic. I help out in a course to teach things like interpersonal communication skills, etc. Doing actual immigration legal work. I help them realize their position of privilege and equip them with the knowledge and skills to build partnerships. I also work at the Hospital downtown. I help in the emergency section. Things like helping families in crisis, discharge planning (making sure they have family support at home), and things of that nature. Basically, if someone doesn’t know the answer to something, social workers figure it out! I also help out in the hospice department. And that is a different kind of crisis because you help prepare for a life without this person. And honestly, when someone is dying, all they want is to go home. I am honored to help people get home and to aid them in any way. I have to say, I never saw myself doing this… But I just love helping people!

I remember you mentioning you grew up on a farm. What was that like?

Well, I use the term “farm” loosely. We lived on 40 acres of land. We also had alfalfa, but the rest of the land was left completely untouched. There’s a lot of creeks and wildlife… It’s so beautiful out there. My mom also rehabilitated wildlife which we helped out with a lot. Trust me, it’s sounds great but when you have to wake up at the crack of dawn every morning to feed the animals, you aren’t thinking about their cuteness haha!

Did that teach you any important lessons that helped you later in life?

Oh definitely. Living on the farm really helped me connect with nature. And although I never really thought about it till now, I guess you could correlate caring for animals to helping humans. There is a lot of compassion involved in medical social work. It’s important to accept that death is a part of life and we should look beyond the stigma surrounding death. And I was exposed to death at a young age with the animals I worked with. I think it really helped with working with people. I have to admit, I am kind of oddly calm with death. Sometimes I think it freaks people out!

How has your family responded to your career path?

Well, my dad wishes I made more money haha, but as long as I am happy, my family is happy. I am the first in my family to go off to college, so I feel like I sometimes have an outsider’s perspective. I think there is a fine line between “we are proud of you!” and “don’t go and get a big head now!”

Thanks so much for this interview Jade! You were a blast.

For those of you who don’t know, Jade is also involved in multiple protest communities. If you have a Facebook and want to get involved, check out these links!

Black Lives Matter

Defending Our Universities (University of Iowa)

Center For Workers Justice Of Eastern Iowa

The post The Intersection Section meets Jade Howser appeared first on KRUI Radio.