Sophia Kolbus

Sophia Kolbus, an SVSU alumna and Bay Area Women’s Center’s Residential Program Manager told us her story of how she started at SVSU wanting to be a nurse but then decided to change to social work to help people in a different way. Her favorite part about her job is working with the survivors and providing a safe space for them.

Life at SVSU

Sophia learned about SVSU during her senior year in high school when she began looking at colleges; her friends encouraged her to look into SVSU because of their nursing program. Sophia then toured the campus and found herself enjoying the welcoming atmosphere, and decided that SVSU was for her.

Sophia started at SVSU on a nursing track, wanting to be a pediatric nurse. She wanted to give herself an edge, so she decided to also minor in Youth Services in the social work department. In her sophomore year, Sophia studied abroad in Australia for a semester, and while there, she learned a lot about herself and other cultures. When she came back, she decided that nursing might not be the best track for her and switched her major to Social Work.

As soon as Sophia graduated with her undergraduate degree in Social Work, she went right into graduate school for her Masters in Social Work at MSU. The MSU program was in partnership with SVSU, and while Sophia got her degree from MSU, all of her classes were at SVSU, and she could stay in the Saginaw area while earning her degree. For her internship through her graduate program, Sophia was randomly placed at the Bay Area Women’s Center and had a great experience.

Life after SVSU

After Sophia graduated from MSU and she was looking for a full-time job, she heard that someone at the Bay Area Women’s Center was retiring and they were hiring for her position. Sophia loved her internship at the Center, so she applied for the job and got it! She has been the Residential Program Manager since 2016 and loves that she can spend her time assisting families that come to the shelter and help to meet their needs.

As the Residential Program Manager, Sophia oversees the emergency shelter and shelter staff, manages the intern program, and is a case manager and therapist for survivors in the emergency shelter program. Her favorite part about her job is working with the survivors and providing a safe space for them. Sophia’s plan for her future is to continue to help and provide a safe and secure environment for survivors of domestic and sexual abuse.

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