Jessica Reyna, LMSW, developed her passion for social work long before she knew about the career. Born in Connecticut, Jessica’s life experiences influenced her desire to support the community through her work. Now Jessica is a licensed social worker, working as a Clinical Coordinator at the BronxWorks Jerome Avenue Men’s Shelter (JAMS), where she leads direct client support for some of our most disadvantaged neighbors in the Bronx.
Jessica earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Barnard College in Psychology, originally pursuing a career as a psychologist. However, she realized that career would not fulfill her goal of working within the community. She decided to search for jobs in community-based organizations, which led her to BronxWorks. Jessica started with the organization in 2016 as a Case Manager in the BronxWorks EXCEL program, assisting young adults in earning their high school equivalency diploma.
“Getting to learn each student’s situation in EXCEL, I thought ‘Wow, these participants could really benefit from interacting with a social worker’. That got me thinking, ‘How can I bring that into this space?’ I began to think about going back to school for social work.”
As she continued her career with BronxWorks, Jessica developed an interest in becoming a social worker. She was encouraged by her supervisors to apply to the BronxWorks One Year Residency (OYR) Master’s in Social Work (MSW) program, which supports staff pursuing a MSW degree by qualifying their work at BronxWorks as their Field Placement. Participating in the OYR program allowed Jessica, and many other BronxWorks staff, to earn their Master’s Degree in Social Work while continuing their full-time job with the agency.
“Looking at my career, I think BronxWorks has been really supportive, really helped to grow my career. I like to praise the OYR program a lot because that really helped me be able to do my internship while working, so I didn’t have to do that outside working a full-time job too. I have a lot of appreciation for their support.”
During her time in the OYR/MSW program, Jessica changed roles to be a Case Manager at the BronxWorks Jerome Avenue Men’s Shelter (JAMS). She started at JAMS in August 2020 and earned her Master’s in Social Work from Columbia University in May 2022. Shortly after earning her MSW, Jessica was promoted to Clinical Coordinator at JAMS, supervising case managers and providing direct client support to address their individual challenges.
“The role of a social worker is to really get to know the people they’re serving, to understand the person as a whole and all the factors that may be impacting their progress. It’s also to provide resources and empower the client to feel ready to accept those resources.”
Jessica hopes to one day work in one-on-one therapy and make community-based therapy more accessible to our neighbors. Outside of work, Jessica enjoys spending time with friends, baking, and taking walks in local parks.
Jessica Reyna, LMSW, developed her passion for social work long before she knew about the career. Born in Connecticut, Jessica’s life experiences influenced her desire to support the community through her work. Now Jessica is a licensed social worker, working as a Clinical Coordinator at the BronxWorks Jerome Avenue Men’s Shelter (JAMS), where she leads direct client support for some of our most disadvantaged neighbors in the Bronx.
Jessica earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Barnard College in Psychology, originally pursuing a career as a psychologist. However, she realized that career would not fulfill her goal of working within the community. She decided to search for jobs in community-based organizations, which led her to BronxWorks. Jessica started with the organization in 2016 as a Case Manager in the BronxWorks EXCEL program, assisting young adults in earning their high school equivalency diploma.
“Getting to learn each student’s situation in EXCEL, I thought ‘Wow, these participants could really benefit from interacting with a social worker’. That got me thinking, ‘How can I bring that into this space?’ I began to think about going back to school for social work.”
As she continued her career with BronxWorks, Jessica developed an interest in becoming a social worker. She was encouraged by her supervisors to apply to the BronxWorks One Year Residency (OYR) Master’s in Social Work (MSW) program, which supports staff pursuing a MSW degree by qualifying their work at BronxWorks as their Field Placement. Participating in the OYR program allowed Jessica, and many other BronxWorks staff, to earn their Master’s Degree in Social Work while continuing their full-time job with the agency.
“Looking at my career, I think BronxWorks has been really supportive, really helped to grow my career. I like to praise the OYR program a lot because that really helped me be able to do my internship while working, so I didn’t have to do that outside working a full-time job too. I have a lot of appreciation for their support.”
During her time in the OYR/MSW program, Jessica changed roles to be a Case Manager at the BronxWorks Jerome Avenue Men’s Shelter (JAMS). She started at JAMS in August 2020 and earned her Master’s in Social Work from Columbia University in May 2022. Shortly after earning her MSW, Jessica was promoted to Clinical Coordinator at JAMS, supervising case managers and providing direct client support to address their individual challenges.
“The role of a social worker is to really get to know the people they’re serving, to understand the person as a whole and all the factors that may be impacting their progress. It’s also to provide resources and empower the client to feel ready to accept those resources.”
Jessica hopes to one day work in one-on-one therapy and make community-based therapy more accessible to our neighbors. Outside of work, Jessica enjoys spending time with friends, baking, and taking walks in local parks.
