November 4, 2025 by

Hello! My name is Alayna Stephens, and I’m a junior social work student here at Cedarville. I’m originally from North Canton, Ohio, and I live in McKinney Hall on campus. Between starting my internship, juggling classes, and being in the honors program, this semester has been a crazy adventure. Come join the fun and walk through a day in my life with me! 

Morning Routine 

On Wednesdays, my alarm goes off at 7 a.m. to give me plenty of time to read my Bible and get ready for my 8 a.m. class. While it can be hard to leave my cozy bed, I actually love being out in the morning mist and getting to see campus wake up for the day. 

Classes and Chapel 

My first class is Social Work with Individuals and Families in the Center for Biblical and Theological Studies. This class is mainly about how to build working relationships with clients. We do lots of self-reflection and roleplaying, which was intimidating at first but is actually pretty helpful and fun! Professor Brown is great at helping us practice social work skills and navigate tough issues that come up. 

After Individuals and Families, I head straight to sit with my friends in chapel at 10 a.m. Chapel has been such a blessing for me this semester. Social work classes tend to dive into some pretty heavy topics, and it’s been so helpful to be able to reorient my mind on truth and goodness each day. 

Next, I have Junior Seminar at 11 a.m. in Milner Hall. My seminar section meets once per week to discuss our internships and ask each other questions. I’m just a few weeks into my internship at the Miami County Board of Developmental Disabilities, and I’m quickly learning just how valuable this weekly discussion time is for my experience as a whole! Relational teamwork and problem-solving are super important in social work, and seminar provides great opportunities to practice that. 

Lunch with Friends 

My lunch break is 12–1 p.m. I often get lunch with just one friend at a time on Wednesdays and larger groups on other days when I don’t have seminar or internship. Sweet friendships have been one of the biggest blessings of my time at Cedarville. There are some pretty incredible people here! 

On-Campus Job 

At 1 p.m., I go to work in Tyler Digital Communication Center for a few hours. I have a job as a student editing assistant in Cedarville’s Marketing and Communications division! I’ve really enjoyed getting to see the enormous amount of behind-the-scenes work that Cedarville writers put into everything from recruitment emails to chapel notes, and it’s pretty special to get to play a small part in these operations too. 

Afternoon Free Time and Dinner 

After work on Wednesdays, my schedule tends to be fairly flexible. I like to knock out as much homework as I can before dinner, which I usually get with friends from my hall, bro-sis, or honors. Recently, I’ve also had a lot of group project meetings around dinnertime — social work professors love to assign group presentations! I’m an officer for the International Justice Mission student chapter here at Cedarville, so sometimes, we’ll have dinner meetings to plan events we’re putting on. 

Night Class 

Three nights a week, I have classes from 7–9:30 p.m. — either Diverse Populations, Social Work Practice with Groups, or Human Behavior in the Social Environment. While they make for long days, these three classes give me the ability to be at my internship for a full workday on either Tuesday or Thursday. Another important aspect of social work is the flexibility!  

Evening Routine 

Since I don’t have class on Wednesday nights, I usually end up finishing assignments in the library for a few more hours before making the trek back to McKinney. Before we wind down for the night, my roommate and I love debriefing our days with each other. Sometimes, I’ll even run over to Johnson or Wood Hall for a quick yap session with some other sweet friends! Encouragement and laughter are such a great way to end my day.

I love my life at Cedarville. Thanks for joining me for my busy day! If you’re interested in making a difference in the lives of others, make sure to check out Cedarville’s social work program! 

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