Fall 2015 MSW Newsletter
MSWSA
The MSW Student Association has been busy this fall with a number of events. With one of their goals being to bring students together outside the classroom, the students hosted their first student brunch, are co-sponsoring the program’s holiday party, and hosted a kick-off party for NASW’s Lobby Day event on campus for MSW students. The group recently launched a community Facebook page, and have been strong supporters of all MSW initiatives. The Association is an avenue for students to get involved in student leadership, network with other MSW students and participate in NASW activities to advocate for social and economic justice. Thank you for all you do, MSWSA.
Haskell California Social Worker of the Year
Long time MSW program supporter and CSUMB Director of Health and Wellness Services, Caroline Haskell, was recently named Social Worker of the Year by the California Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. Professor and MSW Program Director Julie Cooper Altman presented Haskell with the award in San Francisco at NASW-CA’s Annual Conference noting the many characteristics that make her “the best example of a social worker” that Altman could ever imagine. These included passion, brilliance, irreverence, balance, bravery, courage, advocacy, warmth, and empathy.
OSHPD Grant Project
The MSW Program received a grant this year from the State of California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, Healthcare Workforce Development Division, to develop the professional social work pipeline in Monterey County. This program engages Hartnell Community College students in a year-long program of mental/behavioral health career-related workshops, visits to behavioral health care settings, and experiential activities (see photo). These will be delivered primarily through small group exploration and interaction, guided by emerging MSW social work professionals, all who will be trained in cultural and linguistic responsive practice. Amy Bullas from CSUMB and Hartnell’s Gaby Lopez have taken the lead in developing this spectacular opportunity to share and grow our wonderful profession.
The group was recently privileged to have a visit with Jerry Tello (jerrytello.com), an internationally recognized authority in the areas of family strengthening, leadership development, and cross-cultural issues. Jerry’s leadership and work in La Cultura Cura has been instrumental in developing culturally responsive social work practice in our program and beyond.
100 Who Care Scholarship Celebration
On September 28, 2015, the MSW community celebrated the successful completion of the “100 Who Care” fund-raising campaign with a gala event. With over 60 students, faculty, community partners and friends in attendance, the program recognized the three leaders of this campaign for first year MSW scholarship support. Please join us in thanking Wayne & Maureen Lavengood and Anne Herendeen for their vision, tireless efforts, hard work and incredible generosity. (see photo) First year MSW student recipients who were each awarded $1,000 scholarships include the following students below. Congratulations to you all! Rocio Pinzon (Lopez) Jesse Jimenez Elizabeth Zamora Andreina Aguilera Irma Zamudio Lisette Gonzalez Victor Martinez, Nancy Mendoza Kesha Ingram Rosalina Valdez
MSW Scholars
Eight $5,000 scholarships were recently awarded to second year MSW students planning to pursue careers in public mental health. Funding for these awards was made possible by the California Institute for Behavioral Health Solutions (CIBHS) Collaborative, in a grant from the Mental Health Services Act (Prop 63). These dollars have supported CSUMB’s MSW program from its inception, and continue to provide vital funding for local students invested in giving back to their Monterey County communities. We thank CIBHS for their long and ongoing support! Scholarship recipients include: Guadelupe Gonzalez, Erica Prindle, Sabrina Rice, Kathleen Guerrero, Mariela DeLaTorre, Blanca Rocha, Maria Rivera, and Kendal Lardie.
Additionally, for the fourth year in a row, CSUMB MSW students interested in public mental health have been awarded Mental Health stipends from the California Social Work Education Consortium. These $9,250 awards support our students placed in public mental health settings and are intended to stimulate interest and growth in the mental health workforce in California. This year’s awardees include Hugo Garcia, Gabriela Perezchica, Robyn Martinez, Crystal Rodriguez, Grant Helm, Tiffany Avery, and Julianne Hunsdorfer.