Ilknur Citlak, MSW, Class of 2013 Recipient of the All College Graduate Scholarship


One of the most important events in my life that prompted me to think about social work for a career was when I witnessed individuals in my home country of Turkey who were not receiving proper care for their health conditions. I found myself worrying about the health of others and how they were going to survive. During my visits to Turkey, I realized that there were homeless individuals everywhere I went, and that people were experiencing poverty and seemingly had nowhere to turn. Even though I have seen homeless people before, here in the United States, this was dif- ferent. I saw people who felt as if they had no hope because there was no one, like we have here, to help them find resources. That was when I knew that I could be someone that could help change the way countries provide social resources to their people. I could be someone who gave hope, not took it away.


I applied for the All College Graduate Scholarship to continue my commitment to the field of social work, and to support my career ambition for working with culturally diverse populations. I find that there is a shortage of the multilingual social workers needed to work with more diverse individuals. Where can these


individuals go for help if nobody understands what they are going through? My experiences in my own culture led me to become more aware of the social and economic inequalities around us. Not only are these inequalities present here in the United States, specifically around immigrants, but they are present internationally. I noticed a lack of understanding about international issues and find myself curious about the conditions of people in other countries. I believe that this scholarship will continue my graduate education and give me an opportunity to gain exposure in diverse capacities in the field of social work.


Each year, four All-College Graduate Scholarships are made available to graduate students. The selection criteria include both academic accomplishment and professional promise. Financial need is not an influencing factor.


AGENCY PARTNERS HELP DEVELOP A HIGHLY TRAINED PROFESSIONAL CORPS


“If we didn’t have the field of social work, we would need to invent it. And then we would have to invent the many partner-training institutes and agencies that help bring to life the study of social work practice in the field in pursuit of a new generation of social work practitioners prepared to meet


the increasing social, emotional, and health demands of a rapidly changing world. The need for a highly trained professional corps has never been greater, and Springfield College School of Social Work is in a strong position to meet this need through its classroom focus on advanced generalist practice and its broad ranging relationships with service agencies that address human issues across the lifespan.”


Thomas Harrigan Assistant Director of Field Education


SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS


“Social work is a noble profession and social workers are an integral part of society in helping oppressed, disadvantaged, poor, and at-risk populations. In our quest to help others, we must be sure to take care of ourselves. We may not experience the traumatic events of our clients do first-hand, but by hearing intense story after story throughout time, we can be negatively impacted. What are the costs of caring for social workers


both personally and professionally? As social work professionals we work with the pain of clients and strive to promote healing as well as help clients overcome challenges that they confront both individually and in context of their relationships with others. It is essential to implement self-care strategies and to adequately balance one’s professional, emotional, spiritual, and personal life in order to provide optimal service to clients and to thrive in this profession.”


Anthony C. Hill, MSW, EdD, Assistant Professor 11


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