South Korean Master of Social Work graduate Larry Kim (MSW ’21) has made the town of Port Augusta his home, having completed a rural placement in the northern city with the Department for Child Protection.
Larry says he was drawn to a career as a Social Worker to help a diverse range of communities.
“Being in the social work field means your values in life are more inclined to focus on helping others rather than financial reward, and that is the reason why I decided to go with this career – to be able to help others,” says Larry.
The international graduate has been able to fast-track his career through his rural placement opportunity and is now employed full-time as a social worker.
“Ever since I graduated from Flinders University, I’ve been working in the organisation where I did my placement,” says Larry.
“I’m passionate about my role – especially to promote the safety of vulnerable children in the community and address the high proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People involved with the child protection system.”
Having now found his feet in Port Augusta, Larry realised he could aid fellow international students on placement to settle in, with the lessons learned on his own placement.
“As I was not sure what to do when I started my rural placement, I thought it would be good to help other students to avoid repeating the same mistakes I did,” says Larry.
“I tried to help them reflect on their placement experience. It was rewarding for me too, as I was able to reflect on my own experience. I just wanted to let everyone know that we are all in this together. I hope other future students will pass on what they have been given from Flinders.”
Warmly welcomed by the community, Larry loves his life in Port Augusta and is looking forward to progressing his career as a social worker.
He says, “My current goal is to learn more about the processes and systems. I aim to develop my career in the organisation towards being promoted to a Senior Social Worker.”
Learn more about studying Social Work at Flinders University