March 27, 2026

by Lauren Ferguson

At heart, Dr. Gardan Speights is a mentor.

“This role as a professor … I take it as I’m sharing knowledge that I’ve learned with our students, and I want to see them grow and walk in their own paths with the knowledge that I have given them,” said Speights, an assistant professor of social work at Ramapo College of New Jersey.

Speights became a full-time member of the Ramapo faculty in 2025. But she has been mentoring social work students for more than a decade – since her time as a field instructor while working at North Jersey clinics and agencies, such as the Boys and Girls Club of Newark.

“I was for a long time a field instructor, which is someone who provides supervisory experiences to students in the social work program, which is how my connection grew here with Ramapo,” Speights explained.

Ramapo social work students complete hundreds of hours of practicum education, or internship time. The hands-on experience allows them to connect the theories they learn in the classroom to the practice in the field. They spend time in governmental agencies, non-profit organizations, school districts and mental health providers, on their journeys to becoming skilled, competent social workers. While in their placements, students are supervised and mentored by professionals in the field – a role Speights found great purpose in.

“I always saw my role as a leader with students as a mentor … to help guide them,” she said.

Speights also previously served as an adjunct professor as well as a practicum liaison for Ramapo’s Master of Social Work (MSW) program – ensuring students’ placements within different agencies and settings supported their learning and development. Then in 2024, she graduated with her Doctorate of Social Work from Simmons University, and applied for a full-time teaching position at Ramapo, and “I’m here,” Speights said with a smile.

She now serves as the advisor for the Phi Alpha Social Work Honor Society on campus, and teaches Theory and Practice I and II in the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and MSW programs, as well as Social Work Research for BSW students.

Dr. Gardan Speights mentors students as an assistant professor of social work at Ramapo College.

Her research interest around supervision and student identity development grew from her years of mentorship experience.

“I wanted to study and understand what students need – especially students of color and students of marginalized identities, as it relates to how they’re creating their own identity in this profession, which is not dominantly represented by people of color,” Speights explained. “My research interest is around that mentorship experience. What does it look like? How do you help students form their own identities?  … And I get to see it in real time.”

At Ramapo, Speights said, “I love the students and I love their drive.” She also loves having the opportunity to work with students on independent studies and faculty-student research projects, and to show them the impact they can have on communities.

“Getting our students involved in civic action and volunteering is really important to us,” she said.

Speights said scholars in the Phi Alpha Social Work Honor Society are organizing a drive to collect donated goods for Families for Families in Wyckoff, NJ. The nonprofit focuses on connecting people with compassion and empathy to area families trying to make ends meet. The Social Work Club has also strived to make an impact on the community outside of Ramapo with actions such as creating cards for seniors in skilled nursing and rehabilitation programs.

“We are really trying to get them beyond the campus, because the reality is as social workers, our view is not just the individual client, it is macro,” Speights said.

Speights said she has always had “an affinity for helping people.” Now her mission is to get social work students to think broadly about what social work is and how they can define it for themselves.

“What I love so much about his profession is that we are not one-sized fits all. We fit into every space. Every single space. That is what drew me and kept me here. I’ve worked as a private practitioner. I’ve been an executive director. I’m now in the teaching space. I feel like you can do everything and anything you want to do… I feel like we fit everywhere,” Speights said. “I share with our students that you belong in any space you’re in, or you can just simply create those spaces for yourself.”