 |
As a student in the master’s program, Vanessa Roth (‘95) was inspired to find a way to use the media to bring attention to the nearly half a million children in foster care. Her diverse background—an undergraduate degree in English and a minor in psychology—along with her studies at the School of Social Work (which she completed with a minor in law) and an interest in the creative arts, led her to address the subject in a documentary. Roth completed much of the preliminary research for her film “Taken In: The Lives of America’s Foster Children” while at Columbia, drawing from, as she describes, “the wonderful resources of the School’s scholars and experts, as well as my field work experiences at the Legal Aid Society.” The film, which profiles five different generations of children who grew up in foster care and has been screened at colleges and universities across the country, will have its national television broadcast premiere on PBS on May 22. Roth’s innovative and informed undertaking is only one example of how the School’s students are redefining the traditional applications of social work. At a recent screening for Columbia Social Work students, Roth encouraged the audience to “be open-minded to the different ways that you can use the skills you’ve learned here.” While many of the students in the School of Social Work completed their undergraduate degrees in psychology or sociology, others have backgrounds in history, education or other areas. The School has seen an increase in applications over the past several years (the number of applications to the full-time master’s program has nearly doubled in the last decade) as well as more racial and ethnic diversity and international students.
Peter Maramaldi, who is focusing on health care in his doctoral studies at the School of Social Work, has a deep awareness and appreciation for the School’s past, as well as its promise for the future. “There’s a real sense of being connected to the profession’s history here,” he said, “and in meetings with my colleagues, I often think that I’m surrounded by the future of the profession.” In addition to participating in formulating and modifying policy as voting committee members, students meet, organize, and represent their interests in the Student Union, the official representative of the students, and in student groups and caucuses that include the Asian Caucus, Jewish Caucus, Men of Social Work Caucus, Christian Caucus, Feminist Caucus, the GayLesbitrans Caucus, the Black Caucus, and the Latino/a Caucus. Students in the School of Social Work invest much time in planning for their professional future. The Career Development Center provides a broad range of services to both current students and alumni/ae. In addition to updating listings of paid and unpaid jobs and internships—adding over 400 each month—the Center facilitates links with alumni/ae who are willing to share career advice, and offers seminars in professional and career development to prepare students for employment. “We strongly encourage our students and alumni/ae to use the World Wide Web, as we post new listings on our web site within 24 hours after they are received,” said Madeleine L. Dale, director of Career Development. The educational training, practical experience and career support that students receive at Columbia’s School of Social Work combine to make students exceptionally well-qualified job candidates. “Our graduates do very well,” says Dale, “and can pretty much expect to have a job within six months of beginning their search.” “Recruiters are anxious to come to Columbia,” Dale says.
| ||||||||
