Welcoming Our 2019-20 Social Work Interns!

Each year, we have the opportunity to host Social Work interns from local universities, sometimes at the Bachelor’s level, and sometimes at the Master’s level. This year, we are hosting both and are excited to share with them the reality of daily work with families who came to Minnesota with refugee status, and to have their help and support in this work.

This year, we asked each intern to introduce themselves, so without further ado, meet:

Erin:

I am doing an internship for a Master’s in Social Work at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. My concentration is in Clinical Mental Health and I am interested in mental health issues that arise for refugee and immigrant populations as well as psychotherapy for severe and persistent mental illnesses. At the Minnesota Council of Churches Refugee Services, I am learning about case notes and files, doing some of the basic tasks associated with reception and placement, and trying to get a grasp of federal/national and state or local policies around refugee resettlement and intensive case management.

Emma:

I am a senior in the Social Work department at Bethel University, and this year my internship is with MCC Refugee Services’ Employment Services. Under the supervision of Maggie Druschel and Chhimi Wangchuk, I will be learning how to assist refugees in finding employment. I was born in New Richmond WI, but I’m “from” a lot of places around the world. I chose Social Work as a degree after witnessing the work that God has done through an organization called Tutapona, and after coming to the realization that the most fulfilling lifestyle is one that involves serving other people. A fun fact about me is that I love traveling, and there’s probably not a single country that I wouldn’t want the chance visit!

Mayly:

My name is Mayly and I am interning at MCC for the fall semester. I’m working towards my BSW social work degree at Minnesota State Mankato. My passion in working with refugees comes from my background in where I come from a generation of refugees myself as well as advocating for social justice in our society. It is such a privilege to learn and engage with many individuals and/or families who add onto the cultural diversity that Minnesota has been so enriched with.  My internship provides me the opportunity to learn about the Refugee Resettlement Program at MCC while also participating in the works that keep MCC active. We work together with our clients to help them reach their self-sufficiency in MN. We do a lot of outreaching, advocacy, direct and indirect interaction with our clients to which it is also builds connections. There has been a lot of learning opportunities so far and I hope to continue grow as a future social worker with my experiences at MCC.