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Practicum Student Q&A: Xiaoyu Huang

by | Mar 4, 2026 | Blog

A banner image reads "Practicum Student Q&A" in yellow. Above it, text says "Xiaoyu Huang, 2024 CSF Practicum Student." A red looped arrow points to a photo of Xiaoyu, who is Chinese with mid-length black hair and wearing a navy sweater.

Meet Xiaoyu Huang, a 2024 St. Louis County Children’s Service Fund (CSF) MSW (Master of Social Work) practicum student! In this Q&A, learn about Xiaoyu’s experience interning at CSF, including what projects she worked on and how she felt about

The deadline to apply for our fall 2026 practicum is March 15! Learn more about qualifications and how to apply on our MSW Practicum Program page.

What degree were you pursuing during your practicum?

I was pursuing a Master of Social Work.

What was your schedule like during your practicum?

I worked two and a half days a week for CSF — Wednesdays in the office and the rest from home. The schedule was very flexible, and my colleagues were understanding. If I was busy with school, I could temporarily adjust my hours.

What CSF department did you primarily work with?

I mostly worked with the Data Team.

What were some of the main projects or tasks you worked on? 

I worked on Salesforce dashboards and reports for funding allocation and monitoring; historical billing data cleaning; ArcGIS dashboards, including the MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) dashboard and fund allocation; and Grassroots StoryMaps. CSF gave me a lot of freedom to choose the projects I wanted to work on. There were four or five options, and I could pick the one I was most interested in. If I felt bored working on just one project for too long, I could also choose to work on two at the same time.

The CSF team gathers around a large conference table for a strategy planning session.
A group of people sit around a long table full of food at a restaurant.

 Above left: Xiaoyu joins the CSF team for a strategy planning session. Above right: The CSF team celebrates Xiaoyu and her contributions over a farewell lunch.

What organizational processes or general systems did you learn about?

I gained valuable insights into the grant-making processes, including funding sources, planning new cycles, allocating funds, decision-making, grantee check-ins, and managing billing procedures. I also learned about the fee-for-service billing model, a highly data-driven approach to funding.

What was your favorite part about working at CSF?

I absolutely love the people at CSF! Everyone is incredibly kind and supportive, creating such a warm and welcoming environment. In many ways, my experience at CSF helped heal my broken and pessimistic view of the world. The kindness I received there has inspired me to pay it forward and spread kindness to others.