The 2012 Legacy Banquet

Young Alumna of the Year Erin (Knowles) Wirsing ’02 When the Salvation Army decided to start an initiative against human trafficking in Chicago, they looked to Erin (Knowles) Wirsing for leadership. As a social worker with community planning expertise, Erin has been a key player in developing and implementing the Salvation Army’s STOP-IT program in Chicago. This past April in San Diego, Erin was one of the speakers for the 2012 International Conference on Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, and Stalking. But Erin remembers when social work was not even on her radar. She came to Cedarville not really knowing what God might have for her and was an “undeclared” major for quite a while. She is grateful that Cedarville assigned her a caring adviser who listened and helped her figure out direction in her life. “He spent time with me each semester,” she recalls, “and we talked about things that I liked and things I was passionate about.” At one point he suggested that she consider social work and she quickly realized it was a place where she felt she belonged. After graduation from Cedarville, Erin moved to Chicago where she was able to pursue her Master in Social Work at the University of Illinois while working in child welfare, specifically in foster care. In time, she moved to her current job where she has often worked with abused children and those who have been through traumatic experiences. Between her job, her involvement as a youth leader and mentor at her church, and ongoing contact with a social work professor at Cedarville, Erin has learned how to think outside the box and be creative in finding ways to help people by networking with law enforcement, mental health and medical professionals, and other social workers. But beyond providing help, Erin has learned how to come alongside people and treat them with respect and dignity, honoring and encouraging them in their own strengths and talents. Erin married Michael Wirsing in April 2011 after several years of dating. When she thinks of her time at Cedarville, Erin always thinks of people — professors, fellow students, and her church family at Grace Community Church in Washington Court House.