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WARTBURG MAGAZINE | SPRING 2026 DIGITAL ISSUE

The stories that teach

Social work students turn interviews with local volunteers into powerful lessons about listening, trust, and the human experience

March 10, 2026

Alexa Brockmueller, Dale Johnson, and Mya Baker sit around a small dining room table. Alexa has a notebook in front of her while Mya has her computer open and hands ready to type. All three are smiling.
Alexa Brockmueller (l), Dale Johnson, and Mya Baker met six times over the course of the Fall Term so the students could practice their interviewing and social history report writing skills.

No one could stop smiling as Dale Johnson and third-year social work students Mya Baker and Alexa Brockmueller recounted some of their recent conversations around Dale’s dining room table at Bartels Lutheran Retirement Community.

“We had taken the week off to write a paper and then we came back and we find out that you spontaneously got on a plane and went to Vegas. That was a wild 10 minutes,” said Mya.

“That’s a great place to go,” said Dale, “for a short period of time.”

Mya and Alexa met with Dale six times over two months — building an obvious, easy rapport — as part of their coursework for Social Work 301: Practice I, Interview & Assess. As part of the course’s experiential learning component, students are paired with an older volunteer from the community, visiting them in their homes for conversations that bring concepts to life through real-world interactions.

“We interview Dale about his whole life, basically,” said Mya. “And then at the end we present him with that information, and he tells us if it’s right or not.”

“I’m good at that,” Dale interjected.

“Yeah, he gave us a little grade at the end. We made a few tweaks and then submitted it.”

That submission is called a social history report and is used to assess a client’s needs, strengths, and risks when developing treatment and rehabilitation plans. It’s often also the very first assignment for a social work practicum, which students complete during their fourth year.

Blake Daugherty and Amanti Robinson sit on a loveseat facing the camera. Ron Matthias sits on a loveseat across from them with his back to the camera.
Blake Daugherty (l) and Amanti Robinson were paired with Wartburg historian Ron Matthias. This experiential learning opportunity helps prepare third-year students for their practicum, which must be completed before graduation.

“They’re building interviewing skills and confidence while talking to somebody they don’t know as opposed to interviewing people on campus. It’s thinking critically about what’s the important information that you need to have in a real-life, real-world setting. It’s practicing confidentiality, in real time — it’s not hypothetical.”

Dr. Tammy Faux, Tomson Family Distinguished Chair in Social Work

Blake Daugherty and Amanti Robinson, also third-year social work students, were paired with Ron Matthias ’54 and met at his home in southeast Waverly, where they learned more about one of Wartburg’s premier historians.

“It was a great experience of just getting to know a little bit of Ron’s personal life, his family, and his Wartburg experience,” said Blake.

“This project made it easier to understand what questions can be asked and not asked. It also gave us understanding of certain barriers that can arise in the social work setting,” said Amanti. “It just made us more aware of what we can and can’t do.”

When Faux began the interview program, it only included one longer visit between students and their volunteers. Based on feedback from participants, she’s increased the number of sessions to six — enough to put both the students and the volunteers at ease, leading to more meaningful conversations and deeper learning.

“It was nice to be able to start off in an environment that was definitely very safe,” said Mya. “There weren’t a whole lot of difficulties that we had to navigate, so it was nice to put our foot in the door without so much resistance.”

“From this experience, I feel way more confident going into my first social work job,” said Alexa, before addressing Dale: “And so I’m glad that we were paired together because I feel way more prepared than I would have if I had taken this class without interacting with anybody else.”

And the experience is meaningful to the volunteers as well. Dale has participated for at least five years, meeting new students each time.

“I think you are two of the best interviewers I’ve had as long as I’ve been part of this program,” Dale said to Alexa and Mya. “It’s been a really good experience for me. It’s always good to have somebody here besides [other Bartels’ residents] to talk to. You don’t tell me about your illnesses and your various doctor’s appointments.”

“We don’t, no,” said Alexa with a laugh.

“That’ll come,” Dale responded. “Just wait another 60 years.”

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