Class of 2026 Student Spotlights: Menglu Xiao
“You are exactly where you are meant to be.” Those were some of the first words Menglu Xiao heard starting her journey at 91Ƭ as a social work student. Those words came from Dr. Alex Washington, one of her social work professors.
“His words were like a seed planted in my heart,” said Menglu. “Not long after I became a social work student, I realized that all the professors and faculty in the School share something very unique – a strong sense of humanity as a core value. The entire School of Social Work has inspired me during my time at 91Ƭ.
Menglu hopes to take that same compassion and humanity she has learned while obtaining her Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work, to impact the community and world around her.
“My experience and life story is the foundation of why I am here today, and the reason I am committed to social work. My goal is to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and practice as a therapist working with individuals, couples, and families.”
Menglu details times in her life when she, herself, felt alone and afraid, and it is the people around her, she says, including her professors, husband, family and friends that pulled her through. Having immigrated to the United States from China seven years ago, struggling to learn English, and navigating through an unfamiliar culture and place, Menglu felt immediately at home in the School of Social Work. She began to take more risks, and found herself studying abroad in Hamburg, Germany for a semester.
“Studying and doing my internship in Germany was a life-changing experience. I kept pushing myself out of my comfort zone, pushing myself to be open-minded, to experience the world and find my place in it.”
Menglu says due to a difficult upbringing in China, she would especially like to work with survivors of trauma.
“I am open to working in a variety of settings because what matters most to me is being able to offer meaningful, consistent, and accessible therapy support to those who have experienced harm, displacement, or instability. I want to create a space where people can feel safe, understood, empowered, and discover their own capacity for resilience. In the long term, I also hope to provide mentoring and supervision to future practitioners, work to reduce mental health stigma, and contribute to expanding access to mental health care for all.”
Congratulations, Menglu, you are exactly where you are meant to be!
