Do you ever wonder what it looks like to work in the legislature as a social worker? Bethany Gutierrez joins us to discusses her social work background, her current role as the District Director for the Texas State Representative Diego Bernal, and her thoughts on social work and politics. Bethany is a Latina, Cisgender, Social Worker (MSW) (May 2020), member of the NASW Human Rights Committee, a 2019 Archer Fellow almna, 2018 AmeriCorps VISTA alumna, and a first generation college graduate from The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) born and raised in hometown Victoria, TX. Within her position as the District Director for Texas Representative Diego Bernal, she works to increase the Representative’s visibility to his constituents during COVID-19, assist constituents with bureaucratic concerns, develop policy for the Texas 87th Legislative Session, collaborate and form resolutions to address racism in schools, develop asset maps for constituent outreach, and mentor MSW students in the office. Bethany does a deep dive into a day in the life of a social worker in the legislature, discussing what it looks like to work in the state legislature as a social worker. Come find out how micro and macro social work collide for a social worker in a legislative position! The Social Work Amplified Podcast is hosted by SPEAK. SPEAK stands for Social Policy, Education, Advocacy, and Knowledge. SPEAK’s mission is to amplify the voices of social workers in politics and social policy by providing resources, increasing students’ political engagement and facilitating networking opportunities. SPEAK would like to gratefully acknowledge the generous support of the Simmons Sister Fund at Texas Women’s Foundation.