On a Wednesday morning this past February, after the winter storm that left Texas paralyzed for a week, a long line of people lined up outside Gregory Gym, in the heart of the Forty Acres. People waited patiently, masked under the warm sun and with the proverbial six feet of distance apart from each other. […]
Features
Alumna Lauren Gutierrez shares her social work journey on social media
Near the end of completing her bachelor’s in psychology, first-gen college student from San Antonio Lauren Gutierrez felt lost at UT Austin. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” she said. “I thought I wanted to be an ER physician or work somewhere in the medical field. I just wasn’t feeling any of the […]
Alumnae in politics: Advocating for change in Austin’s education system
Ten-year-old Noelita Lugo was overjoyed to join her big sister in class at the University of Houston. As the youngest child of two working parents, she often spent time with her two older siblings because they were her baby sitters. As a fifth grader, it was the moment she sat alongside her big sister in […]
Alumnae in politics: Running for Comal County Commissioner
Colette Nies had no intentions of becoming a social worker, until meeting with her advisor at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. “We were talking about my work in anti-torture policy and food policy and he asked ‘why aren’t you getting a masters in social work,’” she said. “I didn’t know any social workers and I was […]
Alumnae in politics: Running for the Texas Senate
Coming from small town Mineola, Texas, Audrey Spanko had no idea what social work was. But when she finally discovered the field, she knew it was exactly where she needed to be. She obtained her bachelor of social work degree from UT Austin in 2011 and began direct service work in hospitals, clinics and nonprofit […]
Social work alumna creates errand service for Austin’s Latinx community
Ayuda. This word encapsulates what the coronavirus pandemic has caused so many across the world to need: help. But its Spanish translation highlights the need for a specific community, one to which Diana Anzaldua, MSSW ’17, belongs. A few months into the pandemic, Anzaldua co-founded Ayuda, a collaborative errand service to help members of Austin’s […]
Social work alums and creative response to COVID-19
Throughout the pandemic, people found ways to join together and serve their communities in creative ways. Steve Hicks School alums are among those making a difference during this time. Five alums share how they navigated the new normal while continuing to make a difference for their clients. Annie Carroll, MSSW ‘09 Where: United States […]
Ask the Expert: Moving your clinical practice online
The coronavirus pandemic forced the world to shift from in-person connections to virtual and clinical social work is no exception. Deborah Sharp, LCSW-S, CGP, offers guidelines, tips and tricks for a successful online clinical practice. Setting up the space It’s best to work from a desktop computer with a camera; cell-phones’ small screens negatively […]
Social Work Strong
The Steve Hicks School’s food pantry fulfills the spirit of social work The coronavirus pandemic altered the lives of many. Among those forced to adjust were the very individuals the Steve Hicks School exists to serve: its students. Social work students were forced to quickly adapt to a new learning environment while being displaced, laid […]
A writing dreamscape
Steve Hicks School alumna Heather Jones and her work at the Austin Bat Cave to empower youth to find their voices through creative writing.
