Alumni Spotlight:

Duvall-Gilbert turned her tragic past into a catalyst for her career in helping others. 
Photo courtesy of Tiffany Duvall-Gilbert

For Tiffany Duvall-Gilbert, the native of Buckhannon, West Virginia, helping children who were abused and neglected is not only her life's mission, but also her heart and soul. Coming out of a horrific childhood and having survived those tragically unforgettable moments, she bravely stepped up and let her passion decide her future. 

She has earned a Bachelor and a Master’s Degree in Social Work at Concord University and got her social work license. She is currently working at KVC Behavioral Healthcare, a specialized foster care agency in Charleston, West Virginia, as a therapist. Prior to that, she worked at Child Protective Services (CPS) for two years and seven months. “CPS is a very challenging job, but it can also be very rewarding,” Duvall-Gilbert said.

The reason Duvall-Gilbert chose social work was because it was “very personal” and close to her heart. Duvall-Gilbert herself was a victim of child abuse growing up, and was eventually adopted by her aunt and uncle who then raised her. She has always known in her heart that she wanted to help children who also come from unfortunate walks of life. “Many times, children blame themselves for the abuse and they become a product of that abuse. I want to tell those kids that it is not their faults, and that they are more than their environment. I want to help kids learn, grow and empower them to be able to one day achieve their goals and dreams despite the hardships they have gone through. I also chose this career path because I love helping people. Nothing makes me happier than seeing joy in other people’s lives. Social work has truly been a blessing to me, and I only hope to continue to help more people,” Duvall-Gilbert shared.

For Duvall-Gilbert, overcoming many obstacles in life is one of her biggest achievements. She has survived child abuse to get to where she is today. She said, “I am the only one in my family to have gone to college, so to me, graduating not once, but twice is a HUGE accomplishment.  I have also had to pass two social work exams in order to become licensed, and although that may seem trivial to some, it is a big deal.” 

She also believes that being able to survive working at CPS and help protect those abused children has been an accomplishment and “it is most definitely something that I will hold dearly in my heart forever.” 

Throughout her college years at Concord, Duvall-Gilbert has done almost everything to support herself because her family couldn’t afford her education. She received scholarships and applied to the Bonner Scholar Program. She eventually got a job her senior year to help herself financially. 

“No one in my family really knew how to help and support me. They would say encouraging things like “you can do it”, but they never really knew what it was like since they never went through it. I am also a very shy person, so the fact that I went to college so far away from my family was difficult. I eventually made friends though.” 

Even though she had some setbacks in her college years, Duvall-Gilbert proved strong enough to get back up on her feet and finished what she came here to do. She ended up having gall bladder surgery during her junior year of college, still came back to campus and finished out the school year right after her surgery. She shared that one of her favorite memories from school had to be when Dr. Pendergast came to see her when she had her gallbladder removed. “I remember being so shocked but grateful that she did that for me.” 

Thinking back to her years at Concord, Duvall-Gilbert is thankful and passionate about the education she received and how it prepared her for the career she has today. She insisted that without her social work professors, she won’t be who she is right now, saying “They were so supportive and understanding, and I believe they truly gave me the best possible education I could have for doing any social work job. They taught me how to be self-aware (which is extremely important in social work when your own values and beliefs may clash with your clients) and to always think critically about every situation. Social work is definitely not black and white, and I believe that the professors helped me understand that and be prepared for that in the work world and the real world. I would like to give a shout out to all of my professors: Dr. Pendergast, Dr. Whittaker, Dr. Dorsey, Dr. Darden, Dr. Smith, Dr. Parker-Barua, and Scott Ingram. They were truly wonderful people and helped me become the social worker I always want to be and made me who I am today.”  Not forgetting the staff members that she has encountered with at Concord University, who were warm and always encouraging to her, she added “I believe that is one of the reasons I am successful today. I was also a part of Student Support Services, and the staff encouraged me every step of the way to continue on with my education when I felt like I wasn’t going to finish school. Ms. Judy Saunders will forever be a person that I look up to and thank for all of her help and support while I was at Concord. R.I.P. Ms. Judy.”

 Duvall-Gilbert couldn’t stress enough the importance of involvement with campus activities. “Those extracurricular activities I was involved in while at Concord helped prepare me in leadership skills, organizational skills, and communication skills.” She was a member of the Concord Social Work Organization as the President; the Gay Straight Alliance as the President, Vice President, and Treasurer; the Bonner Scholarship Program; the McNair Scholarship Program; and the Nu Zeta Chi sorority where she served as Vice President. 

Being a member of Student Support Services during college years certainly has its perks. Duvall-Gilbert certainly knew the path to success is to ask a lot of questions, take advantage of all of the opportunities Concord provides for students, get acquainted with your professors and do not be afraid to ask for assistance. 

“I have heard some negative things from some people about Concord, but really and truly I believe the small school setting is a great thing. I believe it helps students get more of that one on one attention when they are struggling. Take advantage of the free tutoring and Smart-thinking programs. Also, get involved with activities! There are a lot of great organizations on campus that you can be involved with which will help you develop necessary skills for the “professional” world.” 

For any Concord students who are unsure of what to major in, it’s the best strategy to take a few different classes to find the one thing that one is passionate about. “I started off as an education major and then a psychology major until I took my intro to social work class. Once I had that class, I knew social work was the one. If you think a graduate degree is something you would like to do after you complete your undergraduate degree, look into the McNair program or talk with the professors about the various opportunities out there. I know the professors get just as excited as we do when they learn we want to further our education”, she explained.

In order to be successful, Duvall-Gilbert advised current Concord students, “You have to be able to accept failures and or mistakes and use them as learning experiences. Just because you didn’t get something right the first time doesn’t mean that you are no good at it or a failure. I think you have to be willing to really push yourself and work hard for the things you want. Many people expect handouts these days, but you cannot be successful without working hard and staying dedicated to your studies or career.”