Amanda Travis has always had a passion for helping young adults. Her original career goal was to help juveniles who were in the criminal justice system.

Now Travis hopes to help young adults in a different setting – a college campus.

Travis started in November as Temple College’s first social worker. The college was able to hire her with the help of a $60,000 grant from the Temple Industrial Foundation and a Perkins Leadership Grant.

Hiring Travis was a key element in the college’s new Circle of Support initiative, which seeks to make sure that no students drop out of college because of barriers such as emergency expenses, child care, transportation, housing and food.

Amanda Travis stands in the food pantry that is part of the Circle of Support Student Resource Ce... Amanda Travis stands in the food pantry that is part of the Circle of Support Student Resource Center.Travis is located in a new area in the Arnold Student Union that has been designated as the Circle of Support Student Resource Center. The area also includes a food pantry, a clothing closet, and an office where students can apply for emergency loans.

Travis grew up in New Mexico and earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from New Mexico State University. While working with juveniles in the criminal justice system, Travis met a clinical social worker and realized that was her true calling.

She went back to New Mexico State to earn a master’s degree in social work, and is now a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW).

Travis spent the past 10 years working for the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Her most recent position was at Fort Hood, where she worked with soldiers suffering from PTSD and survivors of Military Sexual Trauma.

This year, Travis decided she needed a change of pace and found the job posting from Temple College. She is looking forward to playing a key role in developing the new Circle of Support program and providing the help students need to achieve academic and personal success.

Travis encourages both students and staff members who need assistance to stop by her office so she can determine how best to meet their needs. She also can be reached at amanda.travis@templejc.edu or 254-298-8767.