Liz Kay: [00:00:00] Hello and welcome to the Providence College Podcast. I'm your host, Liz Kay, and I'm joined by producer Chris Judge of the class of 2005. Here on the Providence College Podcast. We bring you interesting stories from the Friar family. On this episode, we're talking with Rob Hassen, assistant Professor of social work, as well as Bianca Ella and Clara Oliva, two social work majors from the class of 2023.

Liz Kay: We've worked as Hassan's research assistants for the last two years. Hassen studies mental health and immigration and has received funding from both local and national organizations to evaluate the services provided to unaccompanied children. Those under the age of 18 who come to the United States without a parent or caregiver.

Liz Kay: Dr. Hassen, Bianca, Clara, thank you so much for joining us.

Robert Hasson: Thanks for having us.

Liz Kay: So, Rob, can you give us an overview of your current research focus?

Robert Hasson: So right now my research agenda is really focusing on mental health outcomes for vulnerable immigrants, newcomers to the United States. And [00:01:00] for several years I've been focusing specifically on unaccompanied children.

Robert Hasson: So these are children who. At the US border or at a port of entry are apprehended and they are without a parent or a caregiver. Um, and, uh, almost all of my research is focused on their mental health outcomes in resettlement communities. So looking at communities such as Providence, um, other communities in Rhode Island, um, I've also partnered with agencies.

Robert Hasson: In, uh, Chicago and other areas of the United States. And really what we're trying to examine is how mental health, as well as features of resilient resilience rather, um, how that informs the ways that unaccompanied children, uh, navigate, um, new cultural contexts and how it informs the integration process in schools, in their communities, um, and in their daily life.

Robert Hasson: Interesting. How did you get interested in this topic? [00:02:00] So, um, I started my PhD program in 2015, and it was a year after we saw a substantial increase in the numbers of unaccompanied children arriving to the US border. So this. Topic really coincided with my overall interest in what happens to young people, to children when they're separated from, from their families.

Robert Hasson: For a long time I worked as a clinical social worker in domestic child welfare, uh, settings, uh, residential treatment, um, short-term placement, and I've always been fascinated by the ways in which children exhibit resilience when they've been separated from a parent or a family member, and. In which, uh, and helping professionals can support them in schools, um, in.

Robert Hasson: Uh, doctor offices, et cetera. Um, but that's kind of the, the basic, uh, the [00:03:00] basic answer. Uh, the more complicated answer I would say is as an undergraduate student, I studied abroad in India and had a chance to go to Nepal and as well as Tibet. And I lived in a refugee community, uh, for a few months, and it was there that I really saw.

Robert Hasson: Up close, uh, the causes and the consequences of forced migration. Um, I was, I don't know, 19 years old and had never really been around, um, individuals who had been forced, uh, to flee their homes because of safety, uh, because of danger. And, uh, that always stuck with me. And it wasn't until several years later, uh, when, when I was starting my PhD program that the experience really came back to me, um, in that way.

Robert Hasson: I

Liz Kay: feel like you must have seen so many examples of, I'm curious, what are some of the ways that you saw that resilience manifest itself? Were people, were some of these children able to [00:04:00] develop kind of parental relationships with some of the caregivers in their lives? Like what, what were some of the ways that, um, the children accommodated around their absence

Robert Hasson: of parents?

Robert Hasson: So, I, I was, I was staying, um, I studied in a, in a community in Northern India. And it's the Tibetan capital in exile. And, um, there's a program there, the, uh, Tibetan Children's Village. And these were groups of children whose parents in Tibet would send them in groups, uh, across the Himalaya and they would stay in the Tibetan Children's Village.

Robert Hasson: And what I saw when I was there was. Children going to school, children playing, um, children engaging with one another. So those were, you know, the normal patterns of life that, um, a lot of them, uh, were, were demonstrating, but. I wasn't there long enough and didn't engage long enough with the community to, to, [00:05:00] to really see, um, the consequences of that forced separation.

Robert Hasson: Um, the symptoms of trauma, for example. But in terms of resilience, just being able to engage in daily, in daily tasks and daily, daily activities like going to school, um, was really, really interesting, especially when I thought for a moment of. My own experience as an eight year old maybe, or a 10 year old.

Robert Hasson: And if that happened to me, it was, it was really unimaginable. It's honestly something that I still think about a lot, um, you know, uh, uh, several years later. So

Liz Kay: I'm curious how that compares to what you're observing in some of the situations where you're, you're visiting some of the sites that you're visiting in the United States now.

Robert Hasson: That's a, that's a really, really interesting question. I haven't really thought deeply about that comparison. I, I, I will say something that's kind of interesting, uh, to think about are the, the differences in culture. Um, almost half of unaccompanied children who were brought to the US border last year, um, [00:06:00] migrated from Guatemala.

Robert Hasson: Um, and in India, the, you know, t Tibetan, uh, children, um, grow up in, uh, Tibetan Buddhist households, for example. So there's there, there are lots of differences between those cultures that I, I, I think. Likely inform the way in which they're navigating their, um, their day-to-day life. Um, it's a really interesting question that I haven't, uh, I haven't spent too much time comparing those, those two specific contexts.

Liz Kay: So when we think about the issue in the United States, um, can you give us a sense of the scale of the number student of children arriving here, um, in the United States and and how many in Rhode Island?

Robert Hasson: Yes, I can. Um, so the numbers of unaccompanied children have. Been rising quite steadily in recent years.

Robert Hasson: Um, last year in fiscal year 2022, there were [00:07:00] 128,904 referrals to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, meaning there were over 128,000 unaccompanied children who were apprehended at the US border, and then later were referred to the Office of Refugee Resettlement for placement with a sponsor. Now that number has been growing steadily.

Robert Hasson: In 2021, it was over 122,000. We did see a dip, uh, to 15,000 in 2020 in the year 2020 rather. And, uh, uh, likely due to covid and restrictions re related to the pandemic at the border, uh, more locally in Rhode Island last year, 609 unaccompanied children arrived and were placed in Rhode Island. The year before it was 520, and then the year before in, in 2020, um, it was 92.

Robert Hasson: So we can also see how in the Rhode Island context, how it, it generally [00:08:00] mirrors the same pattern that we're seeing on a national level and

Liz Kay: where are they coming from. And, and kind of, without going into too much detail, I'm just curious, what are some of the reasons they're coming to our

Robert Hasson: communities? So unaccompanied children are, are migrating mostly from Central America.

Robert Hasson: Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. And there are reasons that are influencing their migration from those countries. But then there are also features of the United States that are drawing them and compelling them to migrate to the United States specifically. So some of the reasons that are influencing migration out of the countries, uh, in Central America include widespread poverty, um, widespread community violence.

Robert Hasson: Uh, gang violence in particular, and then, uh, some reasons that are influencing migration to the United States specifically, um, include, uh, uh, education opportunities, uh, [00:09:00] For example, in Guatemala, um, public education isn't funded, um, uh, fully through, uh, through high school. So lots of unaccompanied children who I've met with in different research settings talk specifically about wanting to come to the United States to study.

Robert Hasson: And they have goals, they have dreams. They want to be a lawyer, they want to be a doctor, they want to be an architect. And that opportunity to study for that wasn't. It wasn't in their, their, um, wasn't in their home country. Another large reason influencing migration to the United States is, is family reunification.

Robert Hasson: So these children oftentimes have a parent already here or a caregiver already here, and they are arriving to, to seek to reunify. So rarely have I met with an unaccompanied child who has one reason and one reason only. These are oftentimes a, a, a pretty, uh, complex mix of, of reasons [00:10:00] that are influencing a, a migration journey.

Liz Kay: So you recently took some research trips to El Paso in Texas to meet with migrants and as well as advocates and social service providers. Can you tell us a little bit about your experience? What are things like at the border now?

Robert Hasson: So I went on two separate trips, uh, both to El Paso, um, both in June. The first trip was a border awareness encounter, and it was organized by the Sisters of Mercy.

Robert Hasson: The second trip was on my own. Um, I collaborated with social workers in El Paso and conducted in-depth interviews, um, with them to examine mental health outcomes, uh, for unaccompanied children. Um, this. The context of the border is changing. So when, when I was there at least, um, I visited four different migrant shelters and.

Robert Hasson: Some were, some were more full than others. Um, but just a couple weeks before, [00:11:00] uh, we arrived in El Paso, uh, we were told by service providers that there were hundreds if not thousands of migrants in the street because the shelters were overflowing. Uh, so the situation wasn't there when, when, when we arrived.

Robert Hasson: Um, but um, the shelters were, the shelters were full in a lot of. Uh, different areas. Uh, one unique part of that trip organized by the Sisters of Mercy was being able to see, uh, shelter contexts. Um, in El Paso, but we also spent a day in Juarez, Mexico, and we visited the shelter in the, in the basement of the cathedral, the Catholic Cathedral in the center of Juarez.

Robert Hasson: And, uh, that, that was really informative to kind of see different contexts on both sides of the border. Rob, what

Liz Kay: are the goals of some of the organizations that have committed into your research?

Robert Hasson: So my research has been, um, supported by, um, A few different organizations, uh, first [00:12:00] here, um, in Friar Town. Uh, so Providence College has funded my research both.

Robert Hasson: At my department level, um, my school level, um, as well as the Office of Academic Affairs. Um, so right there, I think the, the agenda is, uh, veritas, you know, truth and education, um, and being able to, I. Uh, build the knowledge base and bring students along for the ride. Another organization that's funded my research is Heartland Alliance.

Robert Hasson: Um, they're a social service provider working with immigrants and newcomers. They're one of the largest organizations providing, um, case management services for unaccompanied children. So the goal of that research is to inform the development and in and increase the capacity of case managers. To assess mental health symptoms.

Robert Hasson: So a lot of the work that Bianca and Clara and I, and Clara and I have been doing is, um, [00:13:00] examining, um, uh, mental health data directly from unaccompanied children. But we've also been doing, um, data analysis with focus groups, uh, with case managers, and that's to kind of understand their perspectives of, uh, mental health assessment.

Robert Hasson: And mental health treatment. And the long-term goal with that is, as I mentioned, to um, enhance their capacity to assess mental health. But then over a longer period of time, what are the ways that their perspectives can inform the development of new assessments and, uh, new interventions that are culturally informed, um, for, for this population.

Robert Hasson: And then a third organization that's funded my research is, Uh, Rhode Island Enbury, uh, which is based at the University of Rhode Island. And, uh, they receive funding from National Institutes of Health. And what's really, uh, unique and wonderful about that funding is it's, uh, centered [00:14:00] on, um, enhancing biomedical.

Robert Hasson: Research and biomedical training. So it's been really, really wonderful to use some of that funding to build the knowledge base, um, but then also to be really intentional about training undergraduate students, um, in, uh, different, in different ways of engaging in research.

Liz Kay: It stands to reason that, um, you know, A lot of these service providers like Heartland Alliance wouldn't have a lot of resources or tools necessarily to deal with a population like this, because if the influx of, um, unaccompanied minors and unaccompanied children didn't really begin until pretty recently, like within the last 10, 15 years.

Liz Kay: So, um, it's like they've had to build, start to build the processes to help this population.

Robert Hasson: That's been a large part of the work is organizing resources and allocating resources in ways that that. That meet direct need, uh, for this population. One specific example is, [00:15:00] um, um, my work with Heartland Alliance included, uh, helping them begin to implement a standardized measure of mental health, uh, which had been a gap, um, in the past.

Robert Hasson: So being able to implement that and also to examine what's going well, but then importantly, what's not going well, what are the gaps with that specific measure? What needs to change? Um, I think that that's been a really, um, a really important component of their work.

Liz Kay: With rising numbers of people arriving at the border there, there are some US cities that have seen tens of thousands of new residents.

Liz Kay: I think I've recently read in the New York Times that there were a hundred thousand new people living in that CI City's shelter system as of June of last year. Um, with this influx of migrants, what do people who wanna help support asylum seekers, what can they do?

Robert Hasson: I think individual, individual people.

Robert Hasson: Can first start to look at how their state government [00:16:00] is supporting newcomers. So last year we saw, uh, migrants from Venezuela who were transported from Florida. To Martha's Vineyard, and one thing that I commented on when that occurred was just the, the existing capacity that Massachusetts has in terms of re refugee resettlement and support for immigrants, and all of that's publicly available on the State's website.

Robert Hasson: So I think that's, that's a really important, uh, starting point is to look at what kinds of capacity exists at the state level. Um, in terms of Providence, for example, there are nonprofits that are doing incredible work. I. Uh, helping newcomers, uh, both refugees and asylum seekers and immigrants who are arriving to Rhode Island.

Robert Hasson: So, Dorcas International is another organization that I've partnered with in the past who, um, are doing extraordinary work on a day-to-day basis, and organizations like that [00:17:00] have, um, lots of, um, uh, lots of opportunities for volunteers and for, and for engaging in supporting their work. Um, and then I think the other area to, to, to really explore and, and something that I think a lot about is, is how there is oftentimes a lack of coordination between federal authorities and local and state authorities.

Robert Hasson: And I think that over time, as we see. Increasing numbers of individuals arriving, uh, to resettlement locations. And not just major cities like New York and Houston and Chicago and Los Angeles, but smaller communities as well. Um, questions that we have to be asking our officials, uh, our, our public, uh, elected officials is, you know, what are the policies that in place that are going to promote a welcoming attitude and that will help facilitate integration.

Robert Hasson: I. To help facilitate that process. [00:18:00] And I, I think that that's, those are really important questions and it's at the center of a lot of my research, which I understand takes a mental health lens. But I, but I really think it's important as, as we see increasing numbers of newcomers arriving in these resettlement locations, what are the policies in place that promote welcoming and um, and where are the gaps?

Liz Kay: Um, in your research you used the term unaccompanied child, when I think, I think the official legal technical term is unaccompanied alien child. Um, can you explain a little bit why you

Robert Hasson: make that choice? I really appreciate that question, and this is where I think it's, um, it, it, it's important to emphasize that all of my research is driven from a social work lens.

Robert Hasson: And social work is not values neutral. We're actually values based and we're guided by. A code of ethics. Ethics and one of our ethical principles is recognizing the inherent dignity and worth of, of the human person. [00:19:00] And when I see the, the term unaccompanied alien child or U a c, I think of alien as a dehumanizing term.

Robert Hasson: And terms like that can distance us from people's lived experience. And I intentionally use the term unaccompanied child it, because what I'm seeking to do is to center their human experience and to amplify their dignity and their worth. And I'm actually compelled to do that. And I'm called to do that by my profession's Code of Ethics.

Robert Hasson: And this is a conversation that I also have with my students, um, who work with me as research assistants. Um, and with Bianca and Clara, they were already aware. Of the code of ethics, um, as, as social work majors, but for students who are in other majors, it's a, it's a really, it's a really good opportunity to, um, introduce them to the code of ethics [00:20:00] and to explain to them why it's important and, and why words and terms matter.

Liz Kay: It seems to parallel the Catholic social thought about the dignity of human, the human person as well. So, um, it doesn't seem like an, an unfamiliar concept on a Catholic campus like Providence College.

Robert Hasson: Not at all. Not at all. And I think that's an another really important overlap that I. That I try to talk about with, with students who I work with and, and with colleagues.

Liz Kay: So in the fall you'll be teaching a course on forced migration. Um, what are some of the topics you're planning

Robert Hasson: to cover in the class? I'm so excited. I am so excited for that elective. Um, and the course is gonna cover. Key topics related to forced migration, the causes and the consequences. And it's going to, uh, it's, it's going to use a social work lens.

Robert Hasson: Uh, we'll cover, uh, briefly, um, uh, the history of forced migration. That will be one component, but, um, unfortunately a smaller [00:21:00] component. My experience on the border in June is going to feature prominently, so we'll spend some time really thinking deeply about what the border. What the US southern border is, what borders mean in general, um, and how they inform the ways in which people, um, can migrate and, and, um, and, and how it can impact, um, how it can impact their lives.

Robert Hasson: Then we'll spend time in re resettlement locations. So I'll, I'll include and incorporate some of my existing research. A large, uh, portion of the course is, is going to talk about different contexts of forced migration, the differences between asylum seekers. The differences between asylum seekers and, and refugees, for example, and how their outcomes may differ in in, in certain contexts.

Robert Hasson: I think that's gonna be a big piece of it. And then finally, I'm, I'm really looking forward to using, um, [00:22:00] different exercises that invite students to, to think about how immigration and forced migration may relate to their own life experiences. And what I mean by that is not necessarily their personal life experience, although that may be a direction that, that, that students feel compelled to go in.

Robert Hasson: But I also am, am really mindful and passionate about how this topic can inform students' own learning and, and their own interests rather. So there, you know, I don't, I don't have the, um, the number of specific students offhand, but, but I do know that they're not all social work majors. So, so how is this topic going to inform a young person who, in a few years, will end up on Wall Street?

Robert Hasson: How's it going to inform someone's view who will end up in a courtroom or in a doctor's office? A um, a nurse in a few years? So, That's really what, what I find, um, interesting. There will be social work majors in the course. Uh, so I, I think that having those [00:23:00] conversations and that, uh, diverse, um, engagement is, is gonna be an important part of the course.

Liz Kay: Rob, you've also said that some of the highlights of the research that you're doing has been working with undergraduate assistants. Can you tell us a little bit about what you find rewarding about working with students

Robert Hasson: in this way? Yes, I can. This has been for me. A true highlight of being at a place like Providence College, and I have friends that work at other schools, and I, I, I think more and more the, the longer that I'm here, I, I think this is, uh, really a key feature of who we are as a school.

Robert Hasson: Um, and the shift happened for me last, last semester. I, I had an opportunity to, uh, During a pre-tenure research leave, so I wasn't teaching. Um, I had an opportunity to work really closely with, uh, two undergraduate students, Bianca and Clara, and it included research trips to Chicago. Uh, we attended conferences in, uh, Anaheim, California [00:24:00] as well as Phoenix, Arizona.

Robert Hasson: And what I realized throughout that semester was I. It was almost like I was less interested in what I was researching, and I was more interested in how I was researching and being so closely connected to students and supporting their work and helping them explore their own interests. I, I just, that for me was so enriching and, um, Was really a highlight of the pre-tenure research leave.

Robert Hasson: Um, I was, I was really anxious to be honest about being outta the classroom for so long. So I tried to build my pre-tenure research, leave around student engagement as much as possible. And the goals and the objectives were there. I had to produce, I had to remain engaged in my scholarship. Uh, but for me, it was so much more worthwhile when students were along the ride with me.

Robert Hasson: And, and, [00:25:00] and that was, that was really the best component of it.

Liz Kay: Well, maybe it's time to hear from the students themselves. Um, y and Clara, what made the two of you interested in undergraduate research? Maybe Clara, you could take us off. Um,

Clara Oliva: To be completely honest, I wasn't interested in research whatsoever for the beginning of my college career.

Clara Oliva: I think my freshman and sophomore year, I kind of hated the idea of being research. Um, it seems like very much this big monster that I wasn't able to understand and it frustrated me that I couldn't understand it. Um, so when Dr. Hassan reached out, or actually when Dr. Hassan started teaching, I think it was our.

Clara Oliva: Human life Course class. I think I was like, he mentioned his research and it had to do with, um, immigration. And that's something that I have always kind of been interested in coming from a fir, like I'm a first generation student, so my parents came to the us [00:26:00] um, and then shortly had me so. The immigration system has always kind of been involved in my life, um, especially for my parents trying to get their citizenship and kind of helping them like learn how to take that and prep for that.

Clara Oliva: And kind of, a lot of my family have always tried to. Kind of make sure that all of us are immigrating to the us, not just one of us. So for a really long time, the immigration system for me, um, was something I was just, I just knew about, but I didn't know about it in the sense of unaccompanied children.

Clara Oliva: And that to me was even more scary because I can't imagine what my mom went through, but I, I really can't imagine what an underage child went through, um, on a large, on a crazier scale, especially in these times. So when he had mentioned his research, I kind of looked through it and then I thought about what would be best for me as one, just a student, and building my resume and making sure that I'm kind of [00:27:00] taking a chance on every opportunity that I can have.

Clara Oliva: But two, also, I wanted to know if there was a way that I could try doing research with a professor who I felt very comfortable with, um, and knew that he could support me. Um, so that those were the two reasons why. And then, He kind of just was like, oh, you're interested. And then that's kind of how it started.

Clara Oliva: And ever since then, it's just been, um, us and Bianca working on the research and it's been amazing because I didn't think that I would get to a point where I would wanna be a researcher full-time. Um, but that is something that I am pursuing in my graduate. Um, schooling. So it, it helps me really take off, and I'm really happy to say that at some point, like I will have a name published into some articles and really just feel like I am a multifaceted social worker who isn't mostly doing just clinical work, but also doing so many things, so wearing so many hats that not a lot of people associate with social workers, [00:28:00] if that makes sense.

Clara Oliva: Absolutely.

Liz Kay: Um,

Bianca LaBella: kind of similar to Clara, I research, like wasn't on my radar. Um, when I think when I started with Dr. Hasan, we hadn't even taken our like social work research class yet. So I like didn't really know much about I. Research. But um, I had taken a couple classes with Dr. Hassan, human behavior and then also his diversity and culture and social work practice class.

Bianca LaBella: And they were like my favorite classes that I had ever taken at pc. And um, we got like an email, I think like the social work students got an email and it was like talking about Dr. Hassan's research that he was looking for a research assistant. And I just thought his topic was so cool. Um, I didn't know a ton about immigration.

Bianca LaBella: Like I feel like, um, I knew stuff from my family and like historically, um, about immigration, [00:29:00] but, um, I didn't know anything about unaccompanied children. Um, and it was also kind of right after like 2020 and there was a lot of. Political things that, um, we were hearing about and like social issues and I was really interested in the topic.

Bianca LaBella: Um, and so I kind of, I remember I met with Dr. Hassan and we were talking about the research and I was like, A little hesitant. 'cause I was like, how can we be like researching and like doing research with like humans and these children and like, how is it still like ethical and how are we, like how is it still gonna like, make a difference and like make an impact?

Bianca LaBella: Which I think is like one of the most unique things about social work research and like the way, especially Dr. Hassan goes about his research. Um, and we had a long meeting and we talked about it and. Yeah. Then it just happened. And, um, then it was me, Clara, Dr. Hassan for the last two years, and we just kept [00:30:00] going.

Bianca LaBella: Um, and it's been great. Well, so

Liz Kay: you were both social work majors. You both have now contributed to articles that have been published in scholarly journals or are in the process of being published. And you've both presented your research at conferences. How do you feel you've benefited from these experiences?

Liz Kay: Would've been your, your favorite parts. Maybe Bianca, maybe you could kick us off this time.

Bianca LaBella: Yeah. Um, I mean, it's kind of crazy to think about all of that. Like since graduation, I feel like I haven't really done a lot of reflecting on what this actually, like, all the things that we've done, um, with our research.

Bianca LaBella: But, um, I think that I've definitely benefited from these experiences, like with being able to articulate like my knowledge and what I've learned and being able to. Meet other social workers with various different research interests and experiences and from all different parts of the country, which was super cool.

Bianca LaBella: Like at the conferences, like just hearing [00:31:00] other people's, um, what they're doing for their research and then also kind of what brought them to their research was super interesting, like hearing about their lived experiences. Um, and that was awesome. And I think that my favorite part. Has definitely been just kind of like the consistent relationship with Dr.

Bianca LaBella: Hassan and Clara. We, we've been like a team, um, for the past two years and just, we met weekly, sometimes twice a week, and it was just always, I. I always looked forward to it. Like it, we were doing research and we were all super engaged and we were really excited about like the findings or, you know, we would sit there for a long time trying to figure out, you know, what's the best way that we can do this?

Bianca LaBella: Or like, the best way to come up with a theme or like a topic or just things like that. And, um, hearing from them and their ideas and just having that like consistently over the. Past two years has [00:32:00] definitely been my favorite part, I think.

Clara Oliva: Laura, how about you? Um, I think in the grand scheme of things, I've learned a lot about myself and I've gained a lot in terms of what I think I thought I deserved or what I, I guess a good way to say it is that for me as.

Clara Oliva: Somebody who is a minority on campus. Um, for a really long time I struggled with, um, imposter syndrome and whether or not I deserved the opportunities that were given to me or that I worked for. And so when we were doing research, I kind of, there were moments where I was like, whoa. Like I had a moment of, of like, like shock.

Clara Oliva: 'cause I, I knew that I was in the right space at the right time and I knew that I had to. Of everything. Sorry. There's just, they're changing the, the roofing. Um, but like I said, so for me, I think. [00:33:00] Seeing my name on presentation slides I think was crazy and it really solidified all of the work that I had done and really proved to myself that I was supposed to do those things and that I was capable of doing those things.

Clara Oliva: Um, and it felt good, like, Even during conferences, wearing those little lanyard cards with your name on it and saying presenter or researcher, um, that was another, I think it's a very, um, tangible item for you to associate with success or with what, what you're doing there. Um, I work at a mall. So sometimes the convention center is right next to us and there will be people walking into the store with lanyard cards.

Clara Oliva: And I would always wonder like, oh, that's so cool. Like I've never, I've never done that before. And then like six months later, I'm wearing one myself. And it, it's a very, it's a very gratifying experience to know that I was able to do that. So I think in like to summarize [00:34:00] everything, one, I feel like I was given opportunities that.

Clara Oliva: Me a, a better social worker and a more a talented one as well, um, with different skill sets that not everybody might, not everybody would have normally. And it makes me a much more, um, I guess, A much better candidate for programs, for research and for grad schools. So I knew that. And then two, I just, I feel like a way smarter.

Clara Oliva: Like I just am just a smarter person because of it. And it's, it's good to say that I, I feel that way about myself now grad, given that if you would've told me four years ago that I was going to be doing all of these things in research, I would have slapped you in your face and be like, that. You're a liar.

Clara Oliva: Um, but. Today. So in all In, in the things, it's just provided me with. So many positives. Um, and it was all worth it. Like there was never a point in time where I was exhausted and I didn't wanna do the research. I [00:35:00] always wanted to do the research. Um, so that's kind of how I see it. That's

Liz Kay: awesome. It sounds like it's both, the experience has definitely given both you so much confidence, confidence in your, your skills as social workers, future social workers, um, um, and in, in.

Liz Kay: Your own abilities. It's, it's, this is amazing. Um, which sounds like a great segue to ask you both about your plans, your postgraduate plans. Um,

Clara Oliva: Clara, could you start us off? Um, so currently, I, well I graduated and I applied for a, for a couple colleges. Um, and I decided to attend Fordham in New York, um, in Manhattan.

Clara Oliva: Part of that comes with moving to New York. So for the first time in my life I will be moving states. Um, and that's a little nerveracking, but, um, I'll be moving to Brooklyn for, uh, a year and there I will be, um, pursuing my master's degree in social work and mostly working towards a macro focus. So working with communities, [00:36:00] working with, um, organizations that.

Clara Oliva: Focus on topics that I'm interested in. So my special, like my areas of interest include, um, youth, adolescent, youth of color, um, Students who are at risk for, um, issues of dropping out. Um, so my placement next year would, is going to be at a high school working with at-risk youth again, and I'm really excited to do that because that is my primary focus.

Clara Oliva: But for. Part of my master's degree. I'm also pursuing a research, being a research assistant again. Um, and I applied to be a research assistant for the Fordham community. And so I'm waiting to hear back, but I'm looking forward to helping, um, some professors kind of get their research out there and hopefully learn some more items.

Clara Oliva: I think my focus. Or the professors that I would like to work with are all working with immigration. Um, so that'll be something that I'll probably continue to focus on in terms of my research. But that's kind of [00:37:00] the next steps for me as of right now. Great.

Liz Kay: How about you

Bianca LaBella: Bianca? Um, yeah, I'm getting my master's in social work at, um, Rhode Island College.

Bianca LaBella: So kind of started already. Um, I've been taking classes this summer. Um, I'm doing a clinical pathway, so more. Individual, like one-to-one, but I'm still. Very interested in, um, macro social work as well. Um, my placement for next year, um, is gonna be at a community mental health agency that spans, um, across a couple towns.

Bianca LaBella: Um, and it does, it's a, working with a lot of different populations, um, mental health counseling, substance abuse, um, kids and adults, which I'm excited about. And I'm also, I just got a job as a research assistant for substance use prevention. So, um, Dr. Hassin just put us out there, research world. But yeah.

Liz Kay: [00:38:00] Right now I think that both of you have also done internships in the social work space as well, right. Pka, could you tell us about some of the experiences

Bianca LaBella: you've had? Yeah. Um, so I work, I was in school, social work intern, um, in Providence and then also in Johnston. Um, I was at a high school my junior year, um, j ss e in Providence.

Bianca LaBella: And I. I loved it. Um, I really, really love working in schools. Um, I love school, social work. Um, it was a really unique experience being in Providence. Um, and just seeing like, I. The different, um, populations and just working with kids in Providence and then also seeing it from a different lens by being in Johnston, um, different community, different makeup of students.

Bianca LaBella: Um, and this past year I was at a middle school, um, in Johnston, which I loved. I thought I was gonna, thought that was like an iffy age for me. I was like, [00:39:00] I love little kids. I love high school. Um, but. I think middle school is my new favorite age. Um, it's, it was really cool that like 11 to 13, there's just so much happening, um, in their brains and their lives and everything.

Bianca LaBella: Um, and it was a really, really awesome experience. How about

Clara Oliva: you, Clara? Um, I was actually at the same internship for about this two years. So for my junior and senior year, I was placed at a nonprofit, which is now turning into a school, but it's was called, um, YouthBuild, Providence and YouthBuild.

Clara Oliva: Providence is an alternative education program for young adults who were not able to get their high school diplomas, um, during traditional schooling time. So they fell out. Either they were kicked out of, um, schools or they couldn't finish high school. And so it's a bunch of students who are kind of like on the at risk scale, um, together.

Clara Oliva: And as a social work intern, I was doing a lot of, um, [00:40:00] Kind of like I was doing a lot of assessments. I was doing a lot of crisis intervention. But the ultimate goal was for them to be able to, one, get their um, degree and well diploma, and two, to get some on the job training skills. So they were either sent to do construction work or.

Clara Oliva: To do culinary work, um, so that they could graduate with some certifications. So, um, a lot of them either graduated with OSHA certifications or they, um, left with, um, culinary certifications. So by the time that they graduate, they should have enough skills to get them into the workforce if they don't wanna pursue going to school again.

Clara Oliva: Um, and that was a lot of fun for me because working with kids who. I have been labeled, um, with negative, um, terms are my favorite kind of kids because they, um, truly are kind and they just require a little bit more attention that, um, the traditional, um, school systems just aren't able to given the [00:41:00] numbers.

Clara Oliva: So for me, that's kind of why I've wanted to focus with, um, stick with teenagers and stick with teenagers of color too, um, because I feel like they also need. That extra attention in a, in a, in a system that might try to. That's kind of what I did for my, the last two years, and I'm hoping to continue that side sort of work in my, um, master's degree.

Liz Kay: Um, after hearing about the fantastic experience both of you have had as Providence College students, I'm very curious, um, why you chose to attend Providence College in the first place, and what laid led you both to choose social work as majors? Bianca, would you like to start

Bianca LaBella: us off? Yeah. Um, I don't. When I was like applying for colleges, I was, I'm still a very indecisive person.

Bianca LaBella: I was always super indecisive. Um, but I liked PC a lot when I visited it. Um, everyone said hi, um, when they [00:42:00] were walking past, which I really enjoyed. And I just remember, like I was debating where I was going. Um, I got into the honors program at. PC and like a few other schools. Um, but the scholarship was better at PC than the other schools.

Bianca LaBella: And I just really liked how like, friendly everyone was and how like I just envisioned like walking on campus and like people smiling and I just was like, okay, like I didn't, it was honestly the morning of May 1st decision day, and I had like, was picking between five different schools and I was like, all right, this seems like the one, um, But it wasn't until later on that I like realized that it was the right choice, um, and that I did make a good decision by coming to pc.

Bianca LaBella: And like this is one of the experiences that, um, helped me feel that way, especially after graduating. Um, [00:43:00] and then for social work as a major. Similar to my indecisiveness. I was like interested in like literally everything. Um, I like was gonna do history at one point, then psych, then global studies. Like I just like, thought everything was so cool and just wanted to learn a lot more.

Bianca LaBella: And then I took two social work classes. Um, my second semester freshman year, I like added a sixth class for like no reason. Um, but. One of them was Dr. Hassans, and then one of them was Intro to Social Work, and I just felt like for the first time I was like in a class where everything was connected and everything was like interchangeable in the sense of like, Your community impacts your environment and your environment impacts who you are and your family and your relationships.

Bianca LaBella: And that was like the first time I was like sitting in a classroom and I was like, these are all the thoughts that are going through my head, usually in a class, but like a professor is, um, saying them. And I just was like [00:44:00] super intrigued and. I felt like I understood it. Um, and I felt like it was something that I like, wanted to pursue and like the social work values and ethical principles are just like, I felt like that was how I kind of lived my life already.

Bianca LaBella: Um, and so then I just, I was kind of going back and forth with if I declare, if I don't declare. Um, and then sophomore year I did and I am so grateful that I did. I'm glad you weren't

Liz Kay: indecisive when it came down to like. And actually declaring that sounds, that sounds wonderful. How about you, Clara?

Clara Oliva: Um, the reasoning for being a social worker going to pc.

Clara Oliva: To choose social work are all actually in the same story. Um, and I think it's really cool to kind of think about, but so we talk about how Providence College has, uh, kind of like a bubble and the ways that to combat that bubble is to send students out into the community to do field hours and [00:45:00] internships and things like that.

Clara Oliva: So I'm from Providence. I went to Province Public schools as a high schooler, as a senior, I remember going through a lot, um, as one usually does. And so, um, I remember there was a social worker at my high school who kind of like took me in and she took like, one was. A social worker who cared about my feelings and made sure that I was okay, and she constantly checked in with me and for a really long time I was like, that's kind of something that I wanted to do.

Clara Oliva: I just didn't know that there was a title for it. And I was even more, um, into the idea of being a social worker when we had pc, um, social work students come to my high school, um, as interns. And that was the first time that I was exposed to pc. Um, and they were amazing social work interns. Um, there was, um, a guy who he.

Clara Oliva: He was, um, I think he was a, he was a person of [00:46:00] color and he and I had a pretty good relationship because, um, he would tell me about his classes and he would tell me about PC and Coen mixed that with, um, the social worker at my high school. I was like, being a social worker sounds so cool. Why wouldn't I wanna do that?

Clara Oliva: And so, He can, he kind of told me like, you know, you can go to pc. Um, that's what I'm, that's where I'm going. And I never heard a second did I think that that wasn't possible because they both encouraged me to do it. And so from where, 'cause where I come from, like a lot of my friends and I, you know, you, you don't really go to college.

Clara Oliva: And so that when they kind of pushed me for that, I, I didn't think twice and I just applied. I didn't even go to the campus. I didn't even know where the campus was. And it was in my own community. It was in my backyard. And, um, when I got accepted, I was like, click send deposit. And I didn't even visit the campus.

Clara Oliva: Like I, I, I felt so [00:47:00] confident that I was going to be okay because of the exposure that I had gotten from those social work interns, um, who were living as PC students. Um, so that's kind of why. I immediately entered, um, PC as a social work major. Like I didn't even, I didn't even think about it. I was just like, went right into it and I started taking my social work classes my freshman year.

Clara Oliva: Um, so I think it's because of the positive experiences that I've had that I associate with PC and with my community and how they're kind of connected, um, because community is very important to me. And so to know that PC was, you know, Smart enough to send their students out into the community, um, just kind of like clicked for me.

Clara Oliva: So that's kind of how I ended up at PC and studying social

Liz Kay: work. I think we have to be grateful to all the ambassadors, both the folks who were waving hello at Bianca during her tour, um, and the social work interns who are at your high school. Um, it's amazing that you didn't [00:48:00] visit when, you know you were in the same town, but we're, we're very grateful that you decided to come.

Liz Kay: Um, Dr. Hassen, Bianca and Clara, it's been a pleasure talking with you today. Thank you so much for joining us. Subscribe to the Providence College Podcast in all the usual places, including iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Google Play, and Spotify, as well as your smart speaker. If you like what you hear, please review and share with others.

Liz Kay: Thanks for listening, and go Friars.