The National Association for Social Workers (NASW) magazine will interview Brittany Macaluso, a junior social work student, in North Brunswick for their March issue.
The focus of this issue is to highlight social workers’ experiences from emerging and seasoned professionals. The magazine will be released along with a video in March, which is social work month.
Robin S. Mama, Ph.D., MSS, LSW, Dean of School of Social Work, said, “It is always an honor to have our students or alumni profiled by a national organization. Not only does this help us to demonstrate the work that students are engaged in, it also helps to educate the public on the varied areas where social workers work.”
Cory Cummings, an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work, explained that a student from Monmouth being featured is important for a few reasons. “It acknowledges the hard work [Macaluso] and her team have been doing to support our social work students and help them develop as emerging professionals. This is exemplified through events like the Teach-In that was hosted last Fall,” he said.
Macaluso is the current President of the Social Work Society that coordinated and hosted the Teach-In on the Opioid Crisis last fall. “That event involved my entire team reaching out to senators people professionals in the community and also professors here on campus,” she said.
Aside from on campus organizations, Macaluso has interned at Brain Balance, which works with children who have cognitive and behavioral delays.
This semester, she is interning at 2ndFloor Help Line, open 24/7 for adolescents and young adults to speak about any issues they are facing.
Mama said, “[The feature] helps to demonstrate the quality of our social work program here at Monmouth.”
Cummings added, “[The University has] social work students, alumni, and faculty doing pretty amazing things, and [the exposure] helps to make sure that our reach is extending beyond the University into the wider social work community.”
“This can help [the Social Work Department] to connect with new events, collaborative opportunities, and networks, Cummings concluded.
“For the School, I think it also helps our students to recognize and connect with an organization (NASW) that will be important for them to be linked with as they advance in their practice careers.”
PHOTO COURTESY of Brittany Macaluso
