Meet Erick da Luz Scherf

 

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Erick Da Luz Scherf. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Erick below.

Erick, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

I think it was probably around the 7th or 8th grade – in a little town in Southern Brazil where I grew up called Camboriú – when I started writing this sci-fi story about an out-of-world character, a story in which the details have now faded away from my memory.

While my friends, the very few I had in middle school, got excited about it, I never really did finish that story. However, it was there and then that my passion for writing was born.

I always loved to read, write, and immerse myself in alternative realities, perhaps because my own reality was too harsh. I grew up in an extremely dysfunctional household, with a father who struggled with alcoholism pretty much his whole life (he started drinking when he was 14 years old) and a mom who experienced severe depression for as long as I can remember. I also grew up poor and witnessed violence play out in different forms throughout my childhood.

Reading books, and comics, and watching series was a coping mechanism I had developed as an adolescent. The world of creativity and imagination seemed much more appealing to me than the horrors of my daily life.

Back then, I soon would also discover that I was gay, which did not play out well for me growing up in an impoverished, majorly conservative, and evangelical small town. This led me to focus a lot on my studies. I was always a very studious and applied kid growing up. I now understand that could be explained by the so-called “good boy” syndrome, i.e. if I behaved and performed really well in school, perhaps my parents and my extended family would love me and accept me despite the fact that I liked boys instead of girls.

That, of course, did not work. I did not receive the love I deserved as a kid. Mostly because parental love is supposed to be unconditional, and not tied to aspects of a person’s personality, sexuality, or performance in school. Despite all that, being the “nerd” in the class would serve me quite well later in life. Applying myself in school did not result in my parents’ love or approval, but it did result, 15 odd years later, in hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships, fellowships, over 33 publications in academic journals and books, and a successful career path in academia.

My love for reading, writing, and studying, has thus far taken me to three continents, and five countries, and more importantly, has helped me find my purpose: to advance knowledge on social problems, mentor students, and help underserved populations through research, teaching, and service to the community and my profession.

I truly believe that the experiences I just described were crucial in my decision to pursue a career in social work and as an academic. Additionally, my identity as a Brazilian-born individual informs the way I look at a lot of things in life, including the rampant inequities experienced by the populations I study. Growing up poor in South America has fundamentally shaped my worldviews and to this day still influences my theoretical and conceptual orientations toward inequality and systems of oppression.

None of my parents have gone beyond the 4th grade, thus I never in a million years imagined I would be enrolled in a PhD program, let alone in a top-ranked program in Social Work in the United States. After a lot of self-reflection, therapy, and ultimately finding a partner who loved me unconditionally for who I was, my need to prove myself to my parents and society was slowly replaced by a drive and a passion to contribute meaningfully to the world, and hopefully leave it better than I found it. Education literally saved my life, and it empowered me to make better choices for myself and my future.

That is how I found my purpose. It has been years in the making. But it is very clear to me now, and just like I heard Oprah Winfrey say one time, you have to be in the driver’s seat of your own life, otherwise life will drive you (and so will other people). Which is she advises that you must have some kind of vision for your life.

And my vision, my purpose, is to engage with, and advocate for, those who, like me once, cannot or are not allowed to advocate for themselves. This is why I have a passion for research and service at the intersection of social work, health disparities, and human rights, especially concerning vulnerable groups and historically marginalized populations.

I truly believe we all serve a purpose in life and on this Planet. No matter how “trivial” your purpose might sound to you or others, it is your responsibility to fulfill it to the best of your ability.

Part of my purpose is also sharing my story and my life trajectory so that I might inspire others going through similar situations and tell them to never let go of hope and the idea of a brighter tomorrow.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

Professionally speaking, I am currently a full-time PhD student at the University of Alabama School of Social Work. I also divide my time between several different other projects across different universities in the United States and abroad.

For my doctoral studies, my research focuses on the adverse impacts of restrictive immigration policies on the health and well-being of racialized and minoritized migrants. For instance, I am currently working on a study about international graduate students in the US, and how hostile migration policies may particularly affect them. This project is being led by The Initiative on Social Work and Forced Migration at Washington University in St. Louis, and I am really honored to have been afforded the opportunity to work on it.

I am also working with my brilliant PhD advisor and another professor at my Department on a study about the association between social isolation (e.g. loneliness) and sleep health among Latinx older adults in the US.

While my passion and energy are mostly directed toward research, I also try to seek opportunities to give back to the community and the social work profession. In the Summer of this year, I volunteered in the Social Services Department at our very own University Medical Center, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and it has been a great learning experience for me. In the Fall, I will also officially start my duties on the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Doctoral Student Committee, where I will plan mentoring and cultural opportunities for other international students pursuing a doctoral program in social work in the US.

On top of that, you can also find me speaking at Conferences and other academic events, and even on a podcast segment! (Stay tuned for more). For anyone interested in my professional developments and updates, I would highly recommend you add me to your LinkedIn network since I am very active on that platform: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erickscherf/. You can also learn more about me and my endeavors on my professional website: https://www.erickscherf.com/.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

It is hard choosing only three skills or qualities that helped me get there, but most certainly persistence, courage, and vulnerability are among the top ones for me.

Persistence is important for anything you choose to do in life, but especially if you choose to follow a creative endeavor, and uniquely for those seeking a career in the academe. You are going to hear A LOT of “noes”, and you are going to encounter a lot of naysayers. Especially if you are a first-gen student, or you have a minority background or any sort of marginalized identity, people will constantly doubt you and your credibility. It is your job to ignore those kinds of people and keep fighting and going after what you believe. A lot of doors will close for you as well, but remember, rejection is redirection. What is meant for you will not pass you by. That is why you keep going, no matter what, because you are playing the long game, and building something special that will benefit you, your community, and generations to come.

Courage and vulnerability are key aspects of success as well, however, you may choose to define it. You have to be brave enough to do things and chase your goals even when all the odds are stacked against you. You also need to be vulnerable to admit when you are tired and when you need help, because this journey called life is an arduous one, and we cannot possibly navigate it alone. Lean on to your friends, your community, and whoever provides a safe space for you to be vulnerable and dare to share your hurt and sorrow when life brings you down. For me, it has always been my lovely husband and my chosen family. Do not suffer in silence, it will not do you any good.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

Probably all books and talks by Brené Brown. I know, this might sound cliché since she is also a social worker and social work researcher, but her storytelling skills are amazing and the way that she engages with research, with her clients, and the world, is very inspirational to me.

Daring Greatly is probably the first book from her that I got a physical copy of, and I still come back to it from time to time.

Just like Theodore Roosevelt in his famous speech, quoted on the first page of the book, I too aspire to be in the arena and give it all I’ve got, and if I fail, at least I failed while daring greatly.

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