Published June 5, 2026
By Darlene Muguiro
UTEP College of Health Sciences

Danielle Monteros, a student in the Master of Social Work program and UTEP’s newest Hogg Foundation for Mental Health scholar, says that she’s always felt called to serve others, and remembers learning important lessons early in life through her experience in the Girl Scouts as well as exposure to the foster care system through her aunt, who helped raise multiple foster children.

Excited to begin a career in social work, Monteros started her educational journey at UT Austin. But after a few semesters away, she began experiencing mental health challenges and contemplated returning home to El Paso.

“I felt like it was really important to get myself back to a healthy spot and be closer to my family and friends, so I withdrew from UT Austin and decided to move back home and enroll at UTEP,” she said. “My personal experience motivated me to choose mental health as my field. When you’re working with a population and you’ve been through these things, you understand on a whole different level.”

Shortly after beginning UTEP’s Bachelor of Social Work program, Monteros said she felt like part of a bigger community and knew she had made the right decision.

“The faculty are very supportive and empowering, and the effort they put into going above and beyond for students made me feel very secure,” she said. “Being around others who have the same passion that I do for helping people – it just felt like I had found my people, and a lot of us in social work say that.”

Throughout her undergraduate degree, Monteros saw opportunities to put her passion into practice through her community service hours with Big Brothers Big Sisters of El Paso and internship experience at the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, where she assisted her supervisor with custody and adoption cases. She also assumed the role of secretary of the board for the Student Association for Social Work (SASW).

Following her graduation with her BSW degree, Monteros continued into the Master of Social Work program. Along with increased responsibilities in coursework, she continued her role as secretary for SASW, completed an internship with the Opportunity Center for the Homeless, engaged in off campus work at Bee Mindful, a local mental health clinic where she is currently still employed, and spent time with her family and partner.

Now at the start of her second year in the program, Monteros will focus on completion of the degree along with her responsibilities as SASW’s newly elected president. Support from her recently awarded Hogg Foundation scholarship will allow her to complete this plan. Following graduation, she plans to become a licensed clinical social worker, and may focus on working with children.

“I think I have a bias for working with children, based on my current work at Bee Mindful,” she said. “The profound things that they say are just amazing, and I already have my foot in the door in that field.”

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Go Miners!

For more information about the Master of Social Work program, please visit: https://www.utep.edu/chs/sw/academic-programs/prospective-students/master-of-social-work.html