How MSW Student Frida Quiroz found her perfect fit in impact litigation and statewide advocacy

Frida Quiroz has always understood the power of having a voice—and using it. Long before she began her Master of Social Work at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, she was the student who thrived in debate rounds, spending all four years of high school sharpening her arguments and even advancing to the state competition. What she didn’t fully realize at the time was that she was already shaping the foundation of her future career: advocacy, truth-telling, and speaking up for communities she deeply cares about.

Her path toward social work began with the social workers who supported her throughout her adolescence. Their impact stayed with her, creating a sense of recognition—this is who I want to be for others. After earning her Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Houston–Clear Lake, Frida continued her journey at the GCSW, a place she saw as aligned with her values, identities, and lived experiences. The Indigenous, LGBTQIA+, queer, and immigrant communities she belongs to are not just part of her story; they are central to her purpose. Social work, to her, felt like the most authentic way to amplify the strengths she already carried as a young person with a voice that did not waver.

This clarity became even more pronounced when she began her practicum at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas, a placement far outside the traditional image of social work but perfectly aligned with her passion for systems-level change. The ACLU of Texas, often in the headlines for its impact litigation and public advocacy, engages with policy at the macro level by challenging laws that affect marginalized Texans. It’s not the first place most people picture when thinking of social work, and that’s exactly what makes it so meaningful to Frida.

Her days as a policy and advocacy intern are fast-paced and dynamic. She begins by sorting through a steady stream of updates across internal messaging channels, following developments in cases related to harmful state policies. She tracks legislation—most recently SB11, which concerns daily periods of prayer or religious readings in public schools—by monitoring school district decisions across Texas and organizing the information in constantly evolving spreadsheets. She collaborates with agencies across the state, contributing to coalition-building efforts and ensuring partners are aligned in their strategies. She also produces accessible materials and other educational tools designed to help Texans understand how policy affects their everyday lives.

What anchors her work is the social work lens she brings to an organization not widely viewed as a “social work” space. She centers community voices, treats constituents as experts in their own experiences, and recognizes that education is a form of empowerment. Programs like the ACLU’s Free Speech Academy—which teaches individuals how to engage with city councils, school boards, and other local bodies—exemplify the kind of civic engagement she sees as essential to macro practice. Through this practicum, Frida has seen firsthand that social work does not have to be limited to clinical practice. Change can happen from the top down as much as from the bottom up.

Her cohort at the GCSW reflects the spirit of transformation she sees in herself. If she had to describe her graduating class in three words, they would be eager, fearless, and unapologetic. They are eager to enter a world shaped by rapid political and social change. Fearless in challenging outdated notions of what social work can be. Unapologetic about who they are, what they believe, and the power they hold—especially in political and advocacy spaces. Frida sees them as freethinkers who create space for honest dialogue and diverse perspectives as they prepare to advocate in the Capitol, at rallies, and in communities across Texas.

As Frida prepares to graduate, she imagines her future and envisions herself continuing in spaces where her voice and her advocacy matter—like the ACLU of Texas, where macro social work is not an afterthought but the core of the work. She hopes to challenge the misconception that new social workers must begin in clinical roles before moving into policy or advocacy. Instead, she plans to apply the skills obtained from her practicum to step directly into legislative and systems-focused work. With her passion, lived experience, and commitment to justice, she is poised to become the kind of social worker who not only amplifies community voices but also helps reshape the systems that affect them.