Morgan County probation officer named Outstanding Field Instructor

By Ryne Turke on April 4, 2016 at 12:05pm

MacMurrary’s annual Outstanding Field Instructor award is going to Morgan County Probation Officer Jackie Davis.

MacMurray Field Education Director Jodie Pupillo says Davis, who recently started her 33rd year at the Morgan County Probation Department, has had a tremendous impact on the lives of many students through this program.

“She really is connecting classroom learning, that the students have gotten up until their senior year, and integrating it with field practice. She has been an amazing contributor to this process. She really connects the dots to what they are learning academically to becoming a professional,” says Pupillo.

Pupillo says the 40 students enlisted in MacMurray’s Social Work program is the largest class the college has had. To earn their social work degree, students must complete 400 hours in the field over the course of a semester.

Pupillo says the knowledge students gain the field is extremely important for their future.

“Students go through this amazing transformation at this point and really move from student to professional. With the guidance from the field instructor, they move from who they are as a young person to a young professional. It is a fantastic way to witness students do that through these internships,” says Pupillo.

Five MacMurray students are currently in the field, getting social work experience at the Morgan County Probation Department, Goodwill, Hobby Horse and in local classrooms.

MacMurray Senior Robert Martinez, who has been working closely with Davis since January, says the program has helped him grow tremendously.

“They have given me the tools to work and succeed when I get out there in the workforce. We mimic what a real life situation would be while working with a client. Having an internship and working with real individuals has been really good,” says Martinez.

The Outstanding Field Instructor Award will be presented during the Phi Alpha national honor society award program on Thursday. Students that have academically excelled in programs at MacMurray and have shown service to the community will also be recognized.

The event starts at 6 p.m. at the Katherine Hall Administration Building at MacMurray College.