Action Lab for Social Justice 2024 Social Work Pathways Initiative Recipients
CSSW’s Action Lab for Social Justice is thrilled to introduce this year’s Social Work Pathways Initiative (SWPI) fellows. The SWPI program is a collaboration between CSSW and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice SEEK program under the 2022-2024 New York Community Trust grant, designed to support BIPOC and economically vulnerable students pursuing their MSW and PhD. Starting with three fellows last year, the Action Lab was able to recruit six individuals this year who are deeply committed to research, activism, and racial justice. Their participation in the program guarantees mentorship, fellowship funding, community involvement, and more.
Gabrielle Mabel Andrade
Gabrielle is a first-year MSW student with an Integrated Practice and Programming (IPP) specialization. She first learned about SWPI during her undergraduate career at John Jay College and later joined the Action Lab Summer Research Institute before officially starting her MSW degree. Gabrielle was also a SEEK graduate, and is a lover of all things research. She was a John Jay McNair Program Scholar where she studied domestic violence rates in NYC before and after the COVID-19 pandemic; her current goal is to get involved with the Action Lab's Reproductive Justice Initiative. Gabrielle seeks to improve inclusivity and equity within research, making knowledge production and subsequent research materials more accessible within social work as a profession.
Outside of CSSW, Gabrielle is always looking for additional research opportunities - she loves seeking out new topics to explore and analyze.
Hawine Getachew Eticha
Hawine (Hawi) is a first-year MSW student with the goal of being able to practice clinically as a psychotherapist. Having completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan, she hopes to design and implement her own independent research project surrounding mental health inequities (specifically for Black Americans and those from the Ethiopian diaspora) under the SWPI program. To Hawi, social justice looks like representation. She shares that there is not only a huge disparity in resources that are available to marginalized groups, but disparities among who is providing the service. She advises that the work and teams within social work be diverse and reflect the identities of the communities cared for, otherwise the work is at risk of becoming harmful.
Outside of CSSW, Hawi enjoys many tactile hobbies: embroidery, tufting rugs, and ceramics.
Melissa Rosado
Melissa is an online first-year MSW student with a specialization in Advanced Clinical Practice. She received her undergraduate degree from Hunter College and is interested in a wide range of post-graduate endeavors, including but not limited to pursuing her PhD, clinical practice, and nonprofit programming/administration. Melissa is currently working with immigrant families for her Practicum Learning, and shares the importance of planting the seeds for growth through positive affirmations and encouragement. She further emphasizes how exposure to information can help folks access equitable services, but this kind of visibility is not always prevalent, specifically within communities of color. She thoroughly enjoys working with children, helping them expand upon their social and emotional learning.
Outside of CSSW, Melissa loves to travel (she has been to every continent except Antarctica) and is quite knowledgeable when it comes to financial literacy.
Charmain Perpetua Cato
Charmain is an MSW student specializing in families and child welfare, having graduated from Medgar Evers College and the SEEK program. Her research focuses on young girls of color who are trafficked within the U.S., and she plans to pursue her doctorate while continuing this research. Charmain shares that SWPI has extended tremendous support towards her doctoral research in assisting with formulating research questions, providing guidance on methodology, and alleviating the financial burden of pursuing a degree. She believes that true anti-racism within social work involves ongoing self-education and approaching the work with intentionality, respecting the experiences of others and identifying the roots of our societal issues.
Outside of CSSW, Charmain is a supermom to her two-year-old son and prioritizes self-care. She loves traveling, dancing, and strives to always create balance in her life.
John Paul Guana
John Paul is pursuing an MSW with a specialization in Policy Practice. A Hunter College and SEEK program graduate, his main area of research is diplomacy and environmental advocacy with connections to foreign policy; he hopes to pursue a position as a Diplomat for the U.S. He shares that faculty mentorship has been great at keeping him on track in terms of exploring what he wants to pursue and preparing him for a PhD. To John Paul, social justice within social work can be seen as advocacy, but he prefers to see it as action. He emphasizes the importance of practicing whatever it is we preach, and pushing the boundaries in terms of what is possible for advocacy and equity.
Outside of CSSW, John Paul loves learning new languages, practicing new instruments, and reading - currently, he is studying the Japanese language and playing bass guitar.
Leesh Menard
Leesh is in the PhD portion of a joint MSW/PhD program at CSSW, and received their undergraduate degree from Vassar College. Leesh is in the second year of the CSSW PhD program. Their research and academic interests largely focus on health disparities among queer and trans people. To Leesh, social justice within social work means actively challenging and dismantling oppressive systems, advocating for inclusivity, and creating environments where every individual, regardless of their identities, can thrive. They note that ongoing education, cultural humility, and diverse research efforts are key components to fostering a truly anti-racist and anti-oppressive practice.
Outside of CSSW, Leesh enjoys cooking, relaxing with their cat Dovewing, and distance running.