Debra Westby (right) poses with Lori Berquam, Dean of Students, at the April 24 reception where Debra was named a Finalist for the Outstanding Returning Adult Student Award. She received a scholarship, as well.
At 42, Debra Westby was faced with a difficult situation. General Motors was closing their factory and downsizing her job, leaving her, a single parent with two children, out of work.
After the shock wore off, Debra came to the realization that it was time to go back to school. She began classes at UW-Rock County, dipping her toes into higher education for the first time.
While her experience was rocky, at times – it had been almost 30 years since she wrote essays, solved algebra problems, or took French – her hard work prevailed, and she transferred to Madison with a commendable GPA.
In her classes, Debra learned about oppression and injustice, and decided that she wanted to try to alleviate some of that pain for people. The B.S.W. program seemed like a great fit, and she began working in community mental health with clients diagnosed with serious and persistent mental illness.
This experience was formative. Debra commented that her clients...
A group of students from the Developmental and Other Disabilities and Advocacy in Multicultural Settings field unit have come together to present an advocacy project, Silenced Stories: An Exhibit of Marginalized Voices on Campus, on Thursday, May 9th, 5:30 - 7:30pm in Social Work Rm. 114, for those who have experienced identity-based discrimination on campus. The students stated that “while this campus is generally a liberal, safe and accepting community, there are individuals whose experiences and stories are not being heard.” Discrimination can occur on many axes: race, sex, gender, sexuality, class, ability, ethnicity, religion.
As women veterans return from deployment, practitioners have found that they may have unique physical, mental health, and psychosocial readjustment issues that differ from their male counterparts.
