Damaris Camacho

Story Posted: Spring 2024

GMercyU is truly a place you will learn to call home very quickly. GMercyU allows you to really be yourself and have so many people around you who accept and welcome you with open arms. I have truly made some amazing friends here and relationships with professors who I know will always be there to help me out in my career even after I graduate.

Damaris Camacho attended Parkway Center City Middle College, where she obtained her diploma and then earned her associate degree in Liberal Arts from the Community College of Philadelphia.

For Damaris, what inspired her to continue her education at GMercyU was that it was her mother’s dream school. Sadly, her mother never got to attend college.

“Gwynedd Mercy University was my top choice simply because I’ve always heard amazing things about the campus and programs it offered. It wasn’t until I took a campus tour that I knew that GMercyU was definitely my home, and I couldn’t see myself anywhere else,” Damaris shared.

Social Work Experience

Damaris originally began as an undecided major, taking classes to lead her into the nursing program, but after her first semester, she learned that path wasn’t the right one for her. She looked within and realized her passion was to help people and she had a heart for young children and teens.

“That was when I was struggling between Social Work and Criminal Justice, and my advisor gave me one class in both areas. I ended up taking a class with Dr. Janice Nuss; it was the Trauma Informed Care class. I immediately fell in love with the class, the program, and the heart of Dr. Nuss,” Damaris said. “After that class, I went into the 2023-2024 academic year declaring Social Work as my major and I have never ever been happier.”

Since then, she's loved her experience in the program and her professors, especially Dr. Nuss and Dr. Wade Luquet.

"Dr. Nuss and Dr. Luquet, you have pushed, encouraged, and guided me every step of the way and have always reminded me that I will make a great Social Worker,” Damaris said.

Campus Experience

My favorite part about GMercyU is just how welcoming everyone is here. That was something I realized my first campus visit and something I have always loved. I come from North Philadelphia, which isn’t always such a welcoming and warm place, so coming here was like an entirely new world for me and I fell in love with it. You can truly see how the staff and faculty at GMercyU take pride in their students and how encouraging and welcoming they all are.

At GMercyU, Damaris currently serves as the Social Work and Psychology Club’s (SWAP) representative for Student Government Association (SGA). Within this role, Damaris attends bi-weekly meets to discuss upcoming events, budgets, and potential events. She is also Secretary for Pride Alliance Club and a member of Student Activities Committee (SAC).

While she does not have to complete community service, Damaris was in search of service hours and decided to help out at Catherine’s Cupboard.

“While I was volunteering at Catherine’s Cupboard, I walked around campus and filled up the public women’s bathrooms with menstrual cycle products and also walked to the food pantries to get them organized and stocked up if needed,” Damaris shared.

DELTA Scholars Program

This year, Dr. Luquet asked Damaris if she’d be interested in becoming an ambassador within the DELTA (Diversity & Equity Leadership Advancement) Scholars Program through the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Pennsylvania chapter.

The program serves as an opportunity for social workers to come together and improve on their career and leadership skills as social work students get ready to go into the workforce. It is specifically designed for students from underrepresented populations. Damaris will meet once a month with her assigned mentor.

Post-Graduation

After completing her bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Damaris wishes to obtain her Master’s in Social Work. Ideally, she’d like to complete her degree online while using her Bachelor of Social Work degree to work at a foster care agency.