Sitting at her desk towards the end of the school year in May, social worker Debbie Gudenkauf received a phone call telling her she had been selected as the Kansas State School Social Worker of the Year.
“I got tears in my eyes. It means so much to know that people really value what you do day in and day out,” Gudenkauf said.
Even after seeing about 170 different students last year, Gudenkauf’s favorite part of her 33 years of social work remains working with teenagers.
“Seeing the growth in students [is one of the most rewarding parts of my job],” Gudenkauf said. “At one point in their life they may struggle with issues such as relationships or substance abuse, but I try to help them discover the strengths that they have within themselves that help them be successful.”
