Supporting collaboration with American Indian communities The Office of American Indian Projects (OAIP), hosts two stipend programs for master’s students of American Indian and Alaska Native backgrounds and students with a demonstrated interest in working with these communities. Weaving Native Perspectives, funded through Health Resources and Services Administration and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, focuses on integrated behavioral health, providing field placements in settings that offer behavioral health and primary care and/ or medical services. This enables students to gain interprofessional practice skills. Funding of $473,246 over three years will provide stipends to 33 students. Partners include Gila River Health Care, Native Health, Native American Connections, and Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation. Molly Gebler earned her ASU degree in Tucson. She is excited to work for the Department of Child Safety helping families and creating larger social change. Photo by Adrianna Ovnicek
Spring 2015 outstanding grad Molly Gebler Adrianna Ovnicek Graduate student Molly Gebler smiles big in a small classroom in Tucson, Arizona. As the close-knitted Tucson campus’ student council president, she leads with an unstoppable positive attitude and a desire to help others. “When I lead, I try to show my passion and enthusiasm because those are two things that people can feed off of and in turn get as equally excited.” Gebler said. Gebler says she’s lucky to have made so many connections with her classmates and professors.
Gebler competed her degree in the spring of 2015 and was recognized as the School of Social Work’s outstanding graduate. After graduation, she will work for the Arizona Department of Economic Security as part of her stipend agreement. Gebler says every social worker has “this grand idea to save the world,” but knows that initiating macro-level change starts with small steps.
“ if we can all
just work on being really good people, i think we can make that macro change
“It’s just the small connections I’ve made with the individuals here,” said Gebler. Through the Child Welfare Stipend Program, she spent hands-on time seeing what she would do as a child welfare worker.
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“If we can all just work on being really good people, I think we can make that macro change,” said Gebler.
University Partnerships, funded through the Children’s Bureau and the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute, is focused on child welfare practice in tribal nations and communities. It builds on the strong relationship between the OAIP and the lead agency to develop a change initiative, challenging the School of Social Work to improve curriculum through the inclusion of historical trauma as an aspect of traumainformed care in a way that is relevant to AI/ AN tribes, nations, communities, families and individuals. Funding of $588,000 over four years will provide tuition and fees and stipends for up to 20 students. Partners include lead agency Gila River Indian Community Tribal Social Services, Fort McDowell Wassaja Family Services, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Social Services, and Navajo Division of Social Services.
New student organization engages Latino community Trabajadores Social en Acción, a new ASU student club housed on the Tucson campus, brings together students in the master of social work program whose aim is to strengthen, empower and advocate for Latino communities. MSW students Faby Brink, Melissa Novelo and MSW graduate Juana Ambrose organized the group. Trabajadores provides a space for groups to practice social work benefitting the community. Members of the club share an interest in Spanish-speaking social work, better social work practice with Latino clients, and the inclusion of advocacy for Latino students in the social work curriculum. The club recently hosted their first Tertulia, a round-table discussion with attendees in Tucson and Phoenix.
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