Stockton Native Delilah Rice Channels Family Legacy into Community Impact

Coming from a family dedicated to helping others, Delilah Rice always knew that a career in social work was in her future.

Her grandmother, Betty, raised 10 children, half of whom were adopted. Rice estimates that she fostered an additional 40 children. The determination to give back to the community translated to Rice's mother, Mikesha, who served as an investigative social worker and a substance abuse counselor in San Joaquin County for more than 15 years, while also being involved in community service organizations such as the American Red Cross.

"Fostering, charity, all kinds of activities, I was born into it," Rice said. "It's in my DNA."

Rice wants to keep the family legacy strong. From providing valuable tax resources to the residents in her hometown of Stockton as a Stanislaus State undergraduate, working as a mental health specialist for San Joaquin County Behavioral Health Services as she pursues her Master of Social Work, or her dedication to growing the University's Stockton Campus through advocacy as an Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) director, Rice is dedicated to making positive impacts for those around her.

Learning and applying her skills in her own community has been a point of pride for Rice, who was born and raised in Stockton and currently works in Tracy.

"I know this region and I love it," she said. "Just like my family members, I want to give back. Watching my mom support others in the community, working in the substance abuse field for a very long time as well and doing drug-free campaigning, it was exciting and it really inspired me."

"I love my campus and I love being here. Joining ASI has been a great opportunity for me to learn the macro-levels of social work, which is government and policy. It all intertwines more than people may realize. I just love representing Stockton."

- Delilah Rice '25, Social Sciences, MSW Graduate Student

After earning an associate's degree from San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, Stanislaus State was there to ensure the transfer process went smoothly with the Warriors on the Way program, which offers personalized guidance to community college students through counseling and academic advising as they navigate the transfer process.

"Stan State was always the place I envisioned myself at," Rice said. "Being from Stockton and knowing there was a campus in the city and also hearing about how good the social work program was, it was an easy choice.

"Not many people realize that social work is such a broad field. You can be a clinical social worker to provide therapy services, work in hospitals, focus on trauma, and you can even be in forensics. For me, I really enjoyed watching my mom come home and learn about her day as an investigative social worker and how she balanced that hard work over those long hours with raising me and my siblings. It was really inspirational."

That inspiration translated into action.

Just before she officially enrolled as a social sciences major at Stan State in 2023, Rice began working as a mental health specialist with San Joaquin County Behavioral Health Services, a job she still has to this day. She predominantly works alongside foster youth and considering her full slate of courses as an undergraduate and now as she pursued her master's, she considers her journey as "full circle."

"I saw the love my family had for those children, and it stuck with me," Rice said. "I have gotten so much experience with my job at such an important time. I believe that we are in a time where mental health support is really a need. Most people know that without even being a social worker or even having any experience in that field, but we all see it every day. And being a person of color, where there are not many people like me working in this field, it gives me a lot of determination."

That determination to help others has also been strong on campus, In 2024, she became a key member of the Stockton campus' IRS-certified Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program that, under the leadership of Assistant Professor of Accounting Larry Barnes, provides free tax preparation services for individuals and families in Stockton who earn $68,000 or less annually, people with disabilities and limited English speakers. Each filing season, VITA recruits and trains volunteers to provide tax preparation services, with all required to pass a rigorous tax law training that meets or exceeds IRS standards. Rice participated in the program each of the last two years.

In the first year, Rice and 13 other volunteers worked several Saturdays over the two months preceding the tax deadline to help complete 433 tax returns and secure $955,375 in total refunds and tax credits for local taxpayers. In 2025, those numbers were even higher.

"To know that that amount of money is staying in our community, with people that can really benefit, it's a great feeling," Rice said. "It was a nice experience that helped me further connect with my community."

Building community is another goal that Rice has at the Stockton Campus, working with Associate Professor of Social Sciences Matthew Derrick as a research assistant and joining ASI in fall 2025 with the encouragement of executive director Cesar Rumayor to help grow campus life and learn the ropes of policy.

"I didn't know anything about student government," Rice said. "But I love my campus and I love being here. Joining ASI was a great opportunity for me to learn the macro-levels of social work, which is government and policy. It all intertwines more than people may realize. I just love representing Stockton."

Stockton Campus Dean Sarah Sweitzer met Rice during her freshman year when she, alongside Derrick, launched the Social Sciences Club alongside Derrick. It was the first student organization to operate since the campus reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic.

"From there, Delilah has continued to grow her engagement on campus with other students to help them get engaged on campus," said Sweitzer. "Delilah brings a perfect harmony of being able to work as part of a team and independently that appears to be coupled with a natural emotional intelligence grounded in cultural humility and respect."

"As the campus grows, more people will know about Stan State, more students will go to school, and more students can use their education to make their own positive impacts on our community."

- Delilah Rice '25, Social Sciences, MSW Graduate Student

With all that Rice has become involved with, Derrick believes she has entered her first year of the MSW program "having logged in nearly a decade of professional experience while still in her 20s."

"Delilah was a standout social sciences major from her first semester here at the Stan State Stockton Campus," Derrick said. "For the following two years, she really established herself as a pillar on campus… all while maintaining a full-time professional job!

"Delilah is driven and well on her way to making her mark in the world."

Rice reciprocates the praise.

"I probably wouldn't be where I am right now without Professor Derrick, Dean Sarah Sweitzer, countless other professors and staff at Stan State, including those a few years ago involved with Warriors on the Way. The support has been tremendous. They have helped me get to the master's program and have provided all of these opportunities for me.

"I'm really proud of what I've accomplished so far for myself and the Stockton Campus as we continue to grow. This is a place that will continue to provide a lot of opportunity for a lot of Stocktonians and a lot of just people in the area in general, like myself. As the campus grows, more people will know about Stan State, more students will go to school, and more students can use their education to make their own positive impacts on our community. I know what Stan State has done and is continuing to do for me, and I'm excited for others to have similar experiences."