You can always come back to Bryn Mawr

Mary Kopczynski Winkler ’90 loved her work. She spent 25 years at the Urban Institute doing program evaluation, creating strategic plans, and analyzing performance metrics for government agencies and nonprofits. But as she entered her 50s, she started thinking about a change.

“I would say I was at a crossroads,” she says. “I was still searching for something.”

A couple of years ago, Winkler had an epiphany. She wanted to help people more directly. As she explored her options, she realized her alma mater, which has a graduate school of social work, might be one place to start.

It was March 2024, with the application deadline rapidly approaching, when Winkler applied to the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research — and nowhere else. Meeting with Director of Graduate Admissions Sheila Gillin, M.S.S. ’98 reminded her of the warm reception she had received from Betty Vermey as a teenager, and she was sold.

“Sheila shook my hand on the way out and said, ‘We look forward to seeing you in the fall.’”

Roughly 25 percent of the students at GSSWSR are career-changers who range in age from 21 to 74. These students, Gillin says, bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the classroom, and Winkler is a prime example.

“I think she has a great history, great story, and she will be a great social worker, too,” Gillin says.

Winkler started at GSSWSR in the fall of 2024. “I am loving being back at school,” she says. “I think everyone in midlife should go back to school or do something to fulfill a curiosity, whether it’s through travel, learning a language, or getting involved deeply in a community cause.”

Winkler has always been what she calls “a strong advocate” for Bryn Mawr, from leading the D.C. club to serving on the Alumnae Association executive committee. She and her husband, Dave, got married in Bryn Mawr town and had their reception at Wyndham Alumnae House.

There’s some nostalgia in returning to Bryn Mawr, she says, but it’s different — it’s now a commuter experience for Winkler, who logs 14-hour days every Tuesday driving in from Alexandria, Virginia, for a day of classes. She does her practicum at home in Virginia, where she provides case management to people who are unhoused.

“One of the things that I really appreciate about the program is the flexibility to transform assignments into things that are meaningful to me in my life,” she says.

For example, her teenage son had been experiencing peer pressure around vaping, so she did her first research paper on protective measures designed to prevent kids from picking up the habit and feel supported.

Winkler is hoping to go into behavioral mental health services once she graduates.

“I think I’m a natural mediator,” she says. “I grew up with two brothers; I was the middle child. I’m pretty good at hearing both sides of a story and helping people find more common ground.”

As she looks toward the future, including possibly getting her clinical license, Winkler says her Bryn Mawr education will help her wherever she goes, whether as a counselor or directing a nonprofit.

“My goal is to live a life in service to others,” she says.