Advocate - SWK Newsletter
The Advocate Vol. XIII, No.1 Fall, 2008
Social Work Club Activities
Officers:
President: Jimmy Smith
Vice President: Lizzie Simpson and Serena Sherrill
Secretary: Alison Peak
SGA Representative: January Utermahlen
The club is gearing up for various fundraisers, some of which are to raise money for the upcoming spring trip to the Baccalaureate Program Director’s annual meeting in Phoenix, AZ.
The Social Work Club is Arizona Bound!
Social Work Club is at it again! Preparations are already underway in fundraising for our exciting conference trip next spring. The club sponsored a Halloween Bake Sale full of yummy ghoulish goodies. All of the proceeds will go toward cutting the cost of the trip for students who are able to attend.
The club is also in close contact with recent graduate Sara Hylton and her work with Mobile Loaves and Fishes. Sara was kind enough to pay our club a visit with an inspiring video and pamphlets full of valuable information regarding her work and how we can help as a club.
The Social Work Club will once again forego their "Dead Day" study sessions for a fun-filled time of giving and holiday celebration with students of Napier Elementary School. Necessary items like gloves, hats, and socks will be given to students. We'll also be able to have some snacks and themed crafts. Jimmy Smith
Notes from the Department
Welcome Assistant Professor Julie HuntAfter 8 years of stellar service as an adjunct instructor, Julie Hunt has begun her first full-time semester as an assistant professor. She competed nationally among some highly qualified competitors and demonstrated superiority in every search category. Ms. Hunt’s ability to connect with students, her incredible instincts, and her experience as an educator were only a few of the deciding factors. If you get the opportunity, please congratulate her. We are so happy to have her on board!
Professor Simpler on Sabbatical
Professor Debbie Simpler has been spending this fall semester in Montana studying rural social work and volunteerism. The project questions include:
· How are community needs determined?
· How those needs are met, i.e.: faith based, non-faith based?
· Is there a concentration on any particular age group, e.g., the growing elderly population?
· Is there a natural progression of agencies toward professionalization?
· Are there patterns of the emerging and sustaining of these agencies?
· How is the support of the larger rural community gained?
We look forward to her return in January 2009 when she shares her findings.
Fall Fellowship Dinner
This year the party is scheduled for November 7th at the home of Paul and Lorraina Scholten. Mexican Fiesta is the theme, so everyone should plan to enjoy the spicy culinary delights provided by Joel Simpler. Muy bien!
Report from the Field
This year, our 13 first semester seniors are working in a variety of settings. We are very proud of them as they begin their professional practice as first time field students. We are also grateful to the agencies and supervisors for providing this wonderful range of opportunities and experiences for our students.Kubar Abdi - Paragon Mills Elementary School
Julia Carruthers-Thorne – Stratford High School
Jessica Chapman – Fifty Forward (formerly Senior Citizens, Inc.)
Hannah Gentiles – Big Brothers Big Sisters
Stephanie Gregory – Campus for Human Development
Elizabeth Kearse – Park Center
Caitlin Lecksell – Hope Clinic For Women
Alicia McDonald – Oasis Center
Hannah Olson – Hospicio (Costa Rica)
Alison Peak – Woodbine Community Center
Sara Rosenbaum- Family Resource Center at Cora Howe Elementary
Lizzie Simpson – Clifton Government Relations
January Utermahlen – Oasis Center
Alumni Update
May 1993Loyce Odom Adkerson has recently opened up a branch of the Christian Women’s Job Corp of Rutherford County.
May 2000
Brandy Hounihan Brandenburg is expecting her first child, a boy, around Thanksgiving.
May 2001
Dana Wright Stewart is a Teaching Assistant with Dr. Toni Falbo in the ed.psych program at University of Texas in Austin. She will be helping to teach a 300 level course on elementary education. She will also be focusing on research for several areas. May 2003
Mandy Stinnett Adkins graduated in May, 2008 with the MSW from the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. Mandy won the Outstanding Practicum Student Award. She has returned to Maryville, TN where she is a research associate on a project with one of her professors. Colleen Coffey began a doctoral study this summer in the field of Educational Leadership, joined the Campuspeak family, and will have a full time role with the National Mental Health Awareness Campaign.
May 2004
Mandy Gerling has moved back to Nashville from California.
Karen Masonheimer Koenig is a social worker with The Leo Center, a non-profit medical center in Lawrence, KS.
Sarah Lindsey was awarded the MSSW from the University of Tennessee in May, 2008. She has moved to Mansfield, TX. Elisabeth Patton got married on Saturday, October 4, 2008 to Benjamin Adam Guthrie.
May 2005
Kristin Vance continues her work as a social worker with the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency. She and fiancé, Erik Richards, won a honeymoon package to Cancun from a Martha Stewart essay contest. The couple plans to marry in June, 2009. Vanessa Williams is living in Los Angeles finishing up her Masters in Divinity at The King’s College and Seminary. She is the Coordinator of the Academic Advisement Department of the college and also a youth pastor. December 2005
Corinne Peters Reese gave birth to a beautiful daughter this summer, her name is Olivia Reese.
May 2007
Destri Bockey earned her Tobacco Treatment Specialist Certificate from the Mayo Clinic and was promoted to Program Director. Additionally, she is the head varsity girls’ basketball coach at her old high school in Van Wert, OH. Cara Galuten is currently working with a child with autism during the school day and doing therapy with another child after school.
Christina Jensen finished the Gordon Jewish Community Center Triathlon on May 26, 2008.
Jennifer Legg finished the Gordon Jewish Community Center Triathlon on May 26, 2008.
(Both Christina and Jennifer are case managers at the Mental Health Cooperative in Nashville).
Mary Fletcher Snarr is a case manager at Park Center East and works along alum Ashley Wright (2006).
May 2008
Stacy Anderson has been living in San Francisco for a few weeks and has just been hired as a school-based counselor for the Seneca Center, which provides educational and therapeutic services to children with mental health and behavioral issues. She is ready and excited to put her social work skills to use! She misses her family and friends but loves exploring the different aspects of the new city she now calls her own.
Andria Bauerle is currently living in Nashville and working for The Department of Children's Services as a Social Worker in the Family Service area. She works with children in state's custody towards reunification, adoption or other permanent living options.
Vicki Bourne is currently living in Nashville. She is working as an Office Manager for the School of Occupational Therapy at Belmont University.
Christy Frink is currently living in Nashville and working as the refugee social work specialist with Catholic Charities' new Tennessee Office for Refugees. She’ll be assisting with the research and evaluation of social services programs for refugees across the state. In her free time, you'll find her writing and editing articles for Nashvillest.com, a blog about Music City.
Charlsey Gibson is in Philadelphia where she is pursuing the MSW at the University of Pennsylvania. Her field placement with the homeless is a difficult but rewarding experience. She keeps up with her fellow graduates on Facebook. Laura Leach is living in Nashville with her husband, Ian. She is currently working towards her MSW at the University of Tennessee, and plans to graduate in May of 2009. Laura is completing her field placement at Gilda's Club where she is involved in support groups for individuals living with cancer, friends and family touched by cancer, and those grieving the loss of a spouse. Laura is still working at Pangaea, so come by and say hello!
Brooke Sunday Modlin is enjoying life as a newlywed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with her husband Michael. She is currently working at the University of North Carolina in the Personal Identification Department. Brooke is preparing to apply for graduate school at UNC while continuing to look for a social work job in the area. She is also very much enjoying her free time now that she is no longer an athlete.
Melanie Murphy is working part-time at the Cincinnati Public Library while she completes her MSW at the University of Cincinnati. She loves her field placement at the Diocesan Catholic Children's Home, a residential facility where she works with school-age kids through individual and group therapy. She also enjoys sharing her first apartment with her younger sister and her cat.
Abbie Sumrall is currently living in Waco, Texas and will graduate in May 2009 with her Master's in Social Work from Baylor University. She has a specialization in Latino children and families and will be doing her field placement starting in January at Casa Central in Chicago, IL. There she will be working with domestic violence prevention for Latino families. When she is not involved in school work she teaches Spin classes at the University and is also a graduate assistant. She will be getting married to Matthew Mueller in June 2009 and they plan to live in Texas for a year and then pursue social work in Latin America. Sarah Warren is currently living in Franklin. She is working for Fifty-Forward as a Social Worker in the In-Home Specialist area. Sarah works with senior citizens assisting around their homes, delivering Meals on Wheels, or transporting individuals to appointments. She enjoys getting know her clients and listening to the wonderful stories they have to tell. On December 20th, Sarah will be marrying her fiancé, Devon, and they will remain living in the Nashville area.
Tracy Ezell Wise loves married life with her husband, Cole, in Smyrna, TN. She is also working for the Rutherford County Board of Education in the Department of School Nutrition as a Social Worker with the free and reduced lunch program. Tracy and Cole are also very involved in their church, Smyrna First United Methodist, and help in leadership of the church's youth group, where Tracy finds her social work skills to be invaluable!We want to hear from you! Let us know what you've been up to.
