GRADUATE SPOTLIGHT: Lorrin Rollins, Master of Social Work

As she walked across the stage at Limestone University’s recent graduation ceremony, Lorrin Rollins was officially recognized for completing her Master of Social Work degree.

Though she had received other degrees before, this one had even more meaning.

“Honestly, I did better in the master’s program than I had ever done in school,” she said. “I feel like I finished well. This is my first time ever graduating with Honors.”

Rollins was one of 188 students who received their degrees inside Fullerton Auditorium on Saturday, Dec. 16. She graduated Magna Cum Laude, a testament to how successful she had been while a part of Limestone’s graduate program.

Rollins is currently an Adult Protective Services Social Worker for the Polk County government in North Carolina, having recently switched to that role after two years working in Child Protective Services.

She started in Child Protective Services as an intern while she was an undergraduate at Limestone and later took a full-time position. Rollins then decided to make the move to Adult Protective Services while pursuing her Master’s degree.

Before that, she worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center.

Rollins started her Master of Social Work journey in August of 2020, less than a year after finishing her undergraduate degree from Limestone in December 2019. Like many others, her motivation was the opportunity to earn more pay and to pursue better job opportunities. She said the reasonable price of the Limestone master’s program was another big factor as well.

Still, though, some of her incentives were more personal. Having interacted with mental health institutions throughout her career, she realized that she wanted to have the ability to offer counseling, which she will now be able to do. The mother of three also found that Limestone’s online master’s program offered her enough flexibility to be able to spend time with her children and with her husband, who is a firefighter in their hometown of Landrum, SC.

Additionally, because she already worked in the social work field, she could meet the program’s field education requirements while still employed with Polk County and not have to be away from her children on weekends.  

Above all, Rollins is proud of the work that she did as part of the Limestone Master of Social Work program, and she is grateful to have had the opportunity.

“I hope I can motivate others to pursue their master’s degrees,” Rollins noted. “It can be done if it’s something that you want and you have the motivation. It’s going to change your life for the better.”