Nancy Humphreys is one of those people who when you meet them, you wish you had met them many years before.  When I first got the idea to create an institute to complement the Congressional Social Work Caucus, Betsy Clark suggested that I talk to Dr. Humphreys.  That I did not know much about Nancy Humphreys betrayed my late entry into social work as a profession.  Many of the social workers I know have been at this work for decades; I just got started about 10 years ago.  So, I am still getting to know people in social work and appreciating their many years of contributions to the profession.  In many respects, I am still a newbie. The one problem about entering the game at a late stage is that you don’t have much of a track record.

Dr. Charles E. Lewis, Jr.
Congressioanl Research Institute for Social Work & Policy

At least I was smart enough to take Betsy Clark’s advice and scheduled a meeting with Dr. Humphreys at the University of Connecticut’s School of Social Work where her Institute for Political Social Work is located.  She schooled me on the realities of getting people to work together in our profession.  I listened.  I learned and the Institute is off to a decent start.

I really learned to appreciate Nancy Humphreys when I got the opportunity to hear her speak at the National Association of Social Workers’ conference last June. I am pretty good with words and people have told me that I have given a memorable speech or sermon, but Dr. Humphreys blew me out of the water.  She had a command of the moment that I had rarely seen and I have been fortunate to hear some pretty great orators such as Dr. Gardner C. Taylor, President Barack Obama, and the much revered Rev. Dr. Jesse Jackson.  She can stand with any of them.

She challenged social workers to become more involved in politics and she told us that the number one issue was campaign reform.  She said it was up to us to carry the message because everyone else had seemed to give up on the issue.  I sat there listening to this great speaker and said to myself, “No, she didn’t.”  Because when you put something out there like that, you put people on the spot.  I wondered how social workers would respond.  I wondered if her message would fall on deaf ears—not so much that we don’t understand the gravity of the issue, but because we may feel that we are powerless to do anything about it.

Anyone who knows anything about Congress knows that money in politics has corrupted our system of government.  We don’t want to believe this because we need to know that our government has integrity.  People and corporations give money to elected representatives because they need the money to get elected and re-elected.  Representatives take the money because they want to stay in office and do the best possible job.  Despite differences in ideology and policy, I believe the vast majority of people on both sides of the aisle work as hard as they do because they really believe they are helping this country.  They work hard to play by the rules, but they have to take the money if they want to stay in office.

Dr. Humphreys says we need people in office who not only play by the rules but want to change the rules so that money doesn’t rule.  She believes social workers can make a difference if we are willing to seek elected office and work on behalf of the right candidates.  She’s right.  Just like social workers understand that providing direct services alone without attention to policy shortchanges the people we serve, focusing on policy without being politically active is also an exercise in futility.  Those of us who focus on policy would love to be pristine and be nonpartisan and apolitical, but the real deal is that politics matter.  If we are to be true game changers, then we must be politically involved.

What that means in the 21^st century needs to be explored.  It may take marches and rallies, but it will take much more than that.  We are involved in a battle of ideas—who has the better ideas for creating a more just and equitable society where there is ample opportunity for all citizens.  There will never be equal opportunity, but there certainly should be a chance for all of our children to live healthy and productive lives.

Posted by Dr. Charles E. Lewis, Jr

Monday, June 17th, 2013 @ 7:33AM

Randa Hojaiban, MSW ’03, JD ’04 with Honorable Edward J. Dolan (L) and Honorable Barry C. Pinkus (R)

Hojaiban also mediates in the CLC’s Families in Transition program, which provides low-income families with counseling on custody issues. Teams of attorneys and mental health professionals meet with families who can’t afford to battle it out in family court. The program has the added benefit of being less stressful than a courtroom encounter. The social worker in Hojaiban likes this type of approach, as it gives families more control over their destiny. “Breakups are hard enough without involving kids,” she said. “When you can get the parents through that tough period and get them to raise their kids together, those are the most rewarding cases for me.”

The cases Hojaiban works on deal mostly with children affected by child abuse, domestic violence, neglect, mental illness, substance abuse or chronic conflict. “I feel very lucky to have found the Children’s Law Center, to have had the opportunity to be a part of its growth, and to be a part of such a collaborative court. It’s not such an easy find!”

Chelsea Moule, MSW ’13

Additionally, Chelsea brought a visual awareness to the school community by creating displays that provided information on the updated domestic violence law that was passed in CT in October 2012, highlighting influential women in politics, resources for domestic violence survivors, statistics and facts from the Half the Sky Movement, as well as creating a game board on how one can create policy change.

Outside of academics, Chelsea is actively involved in bringing a voice to women’s rights issues and knowing that fighting for women’s equality is critical.  She attends a yearly fundraiser in Massachusetts that supports women business owners, and has participated in Women’s Day at the Capital and the Pro-Choice Carnival sponsored by NARAL Pro-Choice America.

In the future, Chelsea plans to become involved in local and state politics and hopes to obtain a job in which she can work on empowering women to succeed given the current system in place.  She is an energetic, passionate, and dedicated advocate who fights for women’s rights.

About the Awards

The awards were established in 1993 to honor outstanding women undergraduate and graduate students graduating each year.  The award recognizes those graduating women who have excelled academically within each school and demonstrated dedication to research and service to the University community.  The recipients are selected by the Dean of each school or college.

Lindsay Tatera, MSW Student

Lindsay’s field instructor, Bonnie Kern, Acting Director of Refugee Resettlement at the International Institute of Connecticut stated, “Lindsay proved herself to be a very strong asset in the refugee department… She was competent, reliable, and had a friendly disposition in the office. All of these traits made her a good intern, but what really made her stand out was her competence in medical issues and compassion with newly-arrived refugees.”

“As a supervisor, I appreciated the initiative she would take in making sure that refugees had their medical needs met in a timely and culturally competent manner. Medical case management is a critical component in successful resettlement and our agency is always on the lookout for people who have the same profile as Lindsay. She is a great example of the high-standards achieved by UConn MSW students. Lindsay truly made a difference in people’s lives during her internship by guiding them through the healthcare system.”

“I am very excited to have even been nominated for the InternHero award and am honored that I was selected as this year’s recipient” said Lindsay.  “Knowing that my hard work will positively reflect on the UConn School of Social Work serves as additional motivation to continue my efforts during my second year as a student.”  Lindsay is a Community Organization student and will be doing her 2^nd year internship at the United Nations in New York.

In hearing of the award, Dean Salome Raheim wrote to Lindsay, “Your supervisor’s nomination of you speaks volumes about your accomplishments in your field placement at the International Institute of Connecticut.  Your exemplary performance and this recognition increase the visibility of the UConn School of Social Work and MSW students as important contributors to economic and workforce development in New England.”

HSEP’s annual State of the Region Conference is one of the area’s premier economic development events. In addition to its nationally known speakers, the 2013 Conference featured Mary Holz-Clause, UConn’s Vice President for Economic Development.   

About the Hartford-Springfield Economic Partnership (HSEP)
The Hartford-Springfield Economic Partnership is an interstate collaboration of regional economic development, planning, business, tourism and educational institutions that work together to advance the region’s economic progress. The region comprises the Hartford and Springfield metropolitan areas.  The group markets the region as “New England’s Knowledge Corridor,” emphasizing the area’s rich history of innovation, invention and world-class educational assets.

Cathiann Velez and Jennifer Bennett MSW ’06

The focus of the Taking Charge Program is to build participants’ confidence and help them to advocate for themselves at such places as doctor’s offices.  Field Instructor Jennifer Bennett MSW ‘06 said that the program came about after listening to seniors.  “We heard our members talking a lot and asking questions and we wanted to do something that would give them a voice outside the building…A challenge was helping participants find ways of speaking for themselves while avoiding the stigma sometimes attached to older people…” said Jennifer.

CASCP is the statewide association for professionals working in the 156 senior centers in Connecticut.

Professor Peter Papallo

Professor Peter Papallo has been selected as the NASW/CT Educator of the Year. “Peter is a teacher of extraordinary ability and dedication who enriches the UCONN School of Social Work and its graduate students and the profession with his knowledge and commitment to be an outstanding teacher, stated Catherine Havens, Associate Dean and MSW Program Director. “Peter came to the School as an experienced social work practitioner, highly respected within the social work community especially in the clinical practice area. His strongest contribution lies with students, where his clinical background and practice experience enriches and supports their professional learning and development. Peter is an extraordinary model of the teacher practitioner”.

Peter was hired as a half-time extension professor but was moved to full-time within a year in recognition of his outstanding teaching and contributions to other areas of the program. Professor Papallo teaches a number of required and elective courses in the MSW program in the areas of group work practice and theory, micro foundation, and casework skills. He also provides academic and field advising to master level students. His areas of specialization include casework, group work, and practice with GLBT clients.

Peter challenges his students to meet the highest academic standards, shows concern for his students and interest in their professional development. He encourages students to think critically, to open their developing professional practice to scrutiny and to build confidence as they risk exposure of their errors in the interest of learning. He has had a remarkable record of success in the classroom receiving excellent student evaluations.

Peter’s talents as a stimulating classroom teacher also extend to his work as a faculty field liaison, responsible for overseeing the graduate internships of his advisees, mentoring them and evaluating what they learn through their guided professional practice experiences. In addition to his normal advising load, Professor Papallo provided clinical support, consultation and training to professional social workers and MSW student interns at the Student Family Assistant Centers at two demonstration sites in the Hartford Public School System.

His community engagement has included serving as a member of the Board of Directors of True Colors; a member of a statewide task force exploring domestic violence and sexual assault in the GBLT community sponsored by CWEALF; a member of the State of CT, DMHAS task force on best practice models for LGBT clients; a volunteer at the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective where he also facilitated a support group for transgendered adults for three years; and a member of the Board of Directors of Project 100, The LBGT Community Center. Peter has supervised 11 social workers in the field for LCSW certifications (all successfully certified). For the past six years, he has had a private practice in Torrington where he provides individuals, couples and family therapy for low fee clients.

Brunilda Ferraj ’13 MSW. (Colin Poitras/UConn Photo)

Brunilda Ferraj is the 2013 MSW Student of the Year. She graduated from the UCONN SSW in May 2013 with a concentration in Policy Practice with a Focused Area of Study in International Issues in Social Work. In both her classes and field internships, Brunilda emerges as one of the most committed, intellectually curious, and distinguished students. “Brunilda is an exemplar of excellence as a student, leader, advocate, collaborator, and social activist! She is a superb student academically, holding a GPA of 3.9 while maintaining an extraordinarily robust program of political advocacy, organizing, and community engagement to create positive social change at the local, state, national and international platforms,” states Associate Professor Rebecca Thomas. Brunilda was chosen as the 2013 graduating class Student Speaker, a prestigious honor bestowed upon a student by vote of their peers.

Brunilda’s social activism always focuses on interrelated global issues and the resiliency of women in vulnerable positions. While at the University of Rhode Island, as an undergraduate student, she worked to advocate, support and reach out to victims of domestic violence. Building upon this earlier work, she was involved in a UConn SSW project with the Connecticut Coalition against Domestic Violence. This project was a collaborative effort among community leaders to engage in a strategic planning process, developing a state-wide framework that strengthens the organizational capacity of programs that aim to prevent intimate partner violence. As an MSW student, Brunilda secured funding from the Human Rights Institute to reinstate the Human Rights Reading Group for the UConn West Hartford campus. Once a month, she facilitated the group by engaging members in discussion regarding maternal health, violence against women and gender disparities in education, among other topics. As a member of the UConn Reads Greater Hartford Sub-Committee, she developed programs to foster state wide dialogues about the book, Half the Sky, Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. These experiences solidified Brunilda’s sustained leadership and commitment to advancing human rights of women through innovative approaches.

Brunilda’s subtle and dynamic leadership was evident in her work with the Hartford Public Library Immigrant Civic Engagement Project. She was a Research Assistant for the UConn Project Evaluation Team. The goal of the grant included facilitating the transition of newly arrived immigrants into the community and building trusting relationships between new and longtime residents. Her understanding and knowledge of immigration issues has crystalized and she has blossomed as a community researcher. She knows the immigrant experience firsthand having come to this country as a refugee from Albania. Given her background, Brunilda understands the challenges of acculturation, language barriers, economic hardship and trying to find a path to productive citizenship. In a quiet way, not sharing her families’ struggles, she contributed to a team of key stakeholders to develop and implement Hartford community dialogues as a mechanism for immigrant civic engagement. As a member of the project evaluation team, Brunilda advanced scholarship by presenting at state and national conferences. In her role as Research Assistant, she worked on a pilot study entitled Remittances: The untold stories of immigrants who send money home, which explored the potential challenges and needs of newly arrived immigrants who remit. She was involved in researching and summarizing the literature on immigration trends and remittance and will co-author a grant proposal to seek research funding from the University of Connecticut.

As a Policy Practice student, Brunilda recognized the need to develop programs, disseminate knowledge, and advocate for promoting healthy equity for all Connecticut residents. As a Legislative Aide for the Office of Representative Toni Walker, she puts her political advocacy skills to work for constituencies by lobbying state legislators, testifying at public hearings and tracking legislation; she researches policies, analyzes implications to constituents and synthesizes information for Representative Walker. Brunilda’s goal is to continue to participate in the legislative process by advocating, lobbying, or holding public office.

“I have no doubt that Ms. Ferraj will excel in her career beyond MSW studies and that she will continue to work tirelessly for social and economic justice and human rights,” states Professor Thomas.

The awards will be presented at the NASW/CT annual awards dinner, June 18, 2013 at 5:30 PM at Anthony’s Ocean View, 450 Lighthouse Road, New Haven, CT. To register, visit www.naswct.org.

Dr. Catherine Medina

Dean Salome Raheim stated in her nomination letter, “Dr. Medina is an educator of extraordinary ability and dedication who enriches our School and its graduate students, the profession and the population it serves. Her knowledge and commitment to be an outstanding teacher, leader, and scholar, with a focus on Latin@ populations and communities, has served to motivate our students to become champions of issues that affect Latin@ communities through social work practice and political advocacy.”

When Brunilda Ferraj attended a recent public hearing on a bill that would allow immigrants to obtain a driver’s license regardless of their legal status, she was stunned at the turnout. Hundreds of people filled the room, an overwhelming majority of them immigrants attending their first civic forum.

Brunilda Ferraj ’13 MSW. (Colin Poitras/UConn Photo)

“They were all there speaking out, telling their personal stories, making the case for public safety, making the case for human rights. It was amazing,” says Ferraj ’13 MSW.

Ferraj knows all too well the feelings of isolation and other challenges immigrants face. Her family emigrated from Albania to the U.S. as political refugees when she was a young girl. Growing up in rural eastern Connecticut, she says, there were few support services for immigrants who didn’t speak English and even fewer local advocates to help families assimilate.

Over time, Ferraj turned her struggles into strengths. The experiences of her childhood are now part of what has driven her pursuit of a master’s degree in social work. She has specialized in policy practice with a focus on international issues, and her professional goal is to address structural and systemic inequities through advocacy, policy analysis, and program development.

In her two years at the School of Social Work, Ferraj helped develop a long-term strategic plan for the school’s nationally-renowned Center for International Social Work Studies. She was a member of the campus’ UConn Reads sub-committee, and is the student representative for the school’s educational policy committee. She also served as an intern with the Connecticut Commission on Health Equity.

But it is her work with the Hartford Public Library Immigrant Civic Engagement Project that has her most excited at the moment. As a research assistant on the project’s evaluation team, Ferraj is reviewing the program’s strengths and challenges in order to develop a model that other communities can replicate. She especially enjoys organizing and supporting the project’s “community dialogues” involving diverse immigrant groups.

“Being part of a project that helps immigrants adjust to their new-found life is pretty inspiring,” she says. “The community dialogues are particularly exciting because it is a moment when people come together, talk about issues, and develop action plans on how they themselves can address those issues. It’s amazing to see that happen before your eyes.”

Ferraj was drawn to UConn by the School of Social Work’s reputation for international social work and global research. Once here, she found an academic community that quickly became extended family.

“The school has been tremendously supportive,” she says. “Although some may see the West Hartford campus as a commuter school, it really is like family. It’s amazing the network of support that exists here.”

With an undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Rhode Island, Ferraj has always had a keen interest in policy. She wants to use her social work training to bridge the gaps that can exist between research and policy.

“I knew what I was interested in studying when I arrived here, but UConn encouraged me to open up new doors for exploration,” she says. “I knew I wanted to work with this particular population, but I never considered the research side of things until I came here. Now I understand how research leads to informed policy.”

Ferraj has been getting plenty of hands-on experience navigating the public policy labyrinth as a field worker for Connecticut State Rep. Toni Walker, D-New Haven, and House Chair of the legislature’s powerful Appropriations Committee. Walker is a kindred spirit. She holds a master’s degree in social work from Fordham University.

“Toni Walker is amazing,” Ferraj says. “I’ve learned so much being there with her. Because she is chair of Appropriations, she touches the lives of every single resident of Connecticut, not just those living in her district. So when she makes decisions, she says she makes decisions for Connecticut, not just her New Haven constituents.”

Walker says she is pleased with Ferraj’s work.

“Brunilda has an incredibly kind spirit and despite her quiet voice, she has a lot to say,” she says. “She understands the importance of policy and social workers’ involvement in the political process, especially at the decision-making level. Social workers are not prominent in the legislature and many people do not understand the need for us here, but Brunilda has been able to see firsthand why exactly I am here and why we [social workers] need to continue fighting for our place at the table.”

Working at the state Capitol has also taught Ferraj how to handle challenges and work with individuals who may not share her point of view.

“People ask me all the time, ‘Why do you want to be around people who don’t value what you value?’” Ferraj says. “But I tell them I’d much rather be at the table with those people and have a say and provide a voice for disadvantaged populations than not be at the table at all and let others make all the decisions. I’d rather be there working slowly toward progress than be on the sidelines. It may be tough, but it’s worth it. Educating people is half of what social workers do. It takes a lot of patience and understanding, but that is what advocates are for.”

UConn Today
May 6, 2013
By: Colin Poitras

Thursday, May 16, 2013
5:30 – 7:30 pm
Zachs Community Room
UConn School of Social Work

Light dinner will be served

Keynote Speakers

Sandra Chadwick-Parkes, Ph.D.
University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica

Nivedita Prasad, Ph.D.
University of Applied Sciences, Berlin, Germany

Viviene Taylor, Ph.D.
University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

Bailey, a professor at Simmons College, is an internationally recognized leader, scholar, and educator in social work, diversity, human rights, and related fields. He has spoken at the SSW on various topics over the past several years and will deliver the keynote address at the School’s Recognition Ceremony on Saturday, May 11.

Gary Bailey, MSW, ACSW

Lyudmila Harutyunyan, PhD

Dr. Harutyunyan, known as the “mother of Armenian social work,” is a highly regarded researcher and educator whose work has taken her around the world. She also is a former member of the Congress of the People’s Deputies in the Soviet Union. Harutyunyan is regarded as a particularly courageous scholar, often writing about important social topics in countries that discouraged discussions about the issues or denied they were occurring.