NASW Foundation Announces Consuelo W. Gosnell Memorial Scholarship Recipients

For Immediate Release
October 5, 2009

Contact:
Amber Moore
202-336-8277
amoore@naswdc.org

NASW Foundation Announces Consuelo W. Gosnell Memorial Scholarship Recipients

Washington, DC –The National Association of Social Workers Foundation (NASWF) announces the 2009-2010 Consuelo W. Gosnell Memorial Scholarship recipients.

The scholarships are awarded for one academic year to students who have demonstrated a commitment to working with, or have a special affinity to American Indian, Alaskan native, or Hispanic and Latino populations. These candidates have also demonstrated a commitment to working with public or voluntary non-profit agencies or local grassroots organizations. They are all Master of Social Work candidates.

This year’s awardees include:

Kari Baars, University of Denver
After a semester studying abroad in Mexico, Ms. Baars returned with a renewed pledge to help Latino immigrants in the United States through social work. She has studied to perfect her Spanish language skills so that she can better serve Latina women, specifically in their efforts to learn English, through the Intercambio de Comunidades organization in Boulder, CO. She has also volunteered with the Red Cross, and is an intern at the Colorado Department of Corrections in the mental health department. Ms. Baars has demonstrated her commitment to social work education and has applied to the Latino Certificate program at the University of Denver.

Julia Clark, University of Maryland, Baltimore
Since taking her first undergraduate social work class, Ms. Clark has had a passion to help alleviate the inequalities among communities of color. Ms. Clark has demonstrated this commitment through her extensive volunteering with Latino immigrants in different capacities, including tutoring, facilitating support groups and working with the homeless. Most notably, Ms. Clark works as a Research Assistant Scholar to a professor of social work at the University of Maryland, and has co-authored a chapter in her professor’s book on Latino transmigrants. Her impressive accomplishments as a first year graduate student make Ms. Clark a deserving recipient of this scholarship.

Mark Heinbockel, University of Pittsburgh
Mr. Heinbockel has been working in communities of color throughout his undergraduate career at the University of Pittsburgh. As an intern at Amigos Benefactores de Enfermos Incurables—an organization in Ecuador specializing in care to individuals with terminal illness—Mr. Heinbockel worked with adult patients and their families, assisting in feeding, transferring and advocating for his clients and their families. His exceptional academic achievement coupled with his commitment to service will be an asset to the social work community.

Maureen Ann Jerkowski, Fordham University, Texas
As a member of the School Sisters of St. Francis international congregation, Ms. Jerkowski has been dedicated to serving poor populations through pastoral ministry and social services. She has worked in the U.S and Mexico as a community organizer around human rights and immigration issues, and is executive director of the Centro Mujeres de la Esperanza, a non-profit organization for women. Ms. Jerkowski’s dedication to service is demonstrated in her more than 18 years of work with communities of color, and will prove invaluable to her career as a professional social worker.

Jennifer Kimball, University of Washington, Seattle
Ms. Kimball currently works as the clinic social worker for Sea Mar Community Health Center in Seattle, a non-profit organization offering health care and resources to the Latino population. Her passion to serve and strengthen the Latino community is evident in her work both personally and professionally. Ms. Kimball’s past experience as a Peace Corps volunteer in Costa Rica brought to light the need for better education and health care among Latinos, and sparked her interest in public health matters.

Victor Ortiz, Simmons College, Boston, MA
As a social service provider, Mr. Ortiz has worked for several years as an advocate for the Latino community. He has worked in various capacities to serve children in need, and most recently served as the evening administrator at Youth Opportunities Upheld (Y.O.U), the leading child welfare and behavioral health organization in Massachusetts. Mr. Ortiz’s personal experience growing up in a troubled neighborhood sparked in him a desire to help other youth in similar situations overcome developmental barriers.

Kelly Quinn, Salem State College, Medfield, MA
After studying and working abroad, Ms. Quinn has witnessed first-hand the poverty that plagues many children in Latin American countries. Through her current work at Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (NPH)—an international organization committed to providing a home, family and education to orphaned children in the Dominican Republic—Ms. Quinn has implemented NPH’s first English as a Second Language program. Her passion to help underserved minorities, particularly Latinos, is deeply rooted in her experiences as a volunteer abroad. Ms. Quinn aspires to be a bilingual forensic social worker upon completion of her MSW at Salem State College in Massachusetts.

Audrey Sherman, University of Texas, Austin
Ms. Sherman has demonstrated a consistent desire and passion for working with the rapidly growing Hispanic/Latino population in a non-profit environment. She has studied Spanish for more than 10 years in order to communicate with prospective clients more effectively. Throughout her studies and experiences abroad, she has promoted social justice for those who have been marginalized, specifically Latinos, and advocated vigorously for their rights.

Linda Everardo Spotts, Delaware State University
A recent immigrant from Mexico, Ms. Spotts practiced as a licensed psychologist in her native country. In this role, she provided counseling to children, adults and cancer patients in a private practice setting. Currently, she works with the Faculty and Staff Assistant Program at the University of Delaware to provide counseling and co-facilitate seminars and support groups for students. Her background as a therapist in Mexico has given her a valuable foundation on which to build her social work expertise in the U.S.

Matthew Lorenzo Vasquez, University of Iowa
A first-generation Mexican-American, Mr. Vasquez has a compelling personal story that shaped his desire to serve populations of color. He began volunteering as a teenager at the St. Vincent de Paul Homeless Shelter in San Diego, witnessing first-hand the devastation that poverty can bring. Mr. Vasquez’s volunteer and work experience, combined with his determination to serve Latino and immigrant communities has led him to the University of Iowa School of Social Work to obtain an MSW and, ultimately, pursue a doctorate in social work.

The Gosnell Scholarship was established through a bequest of Consuelo Gosnell, a social work practitioner who was born in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and died in Texas in 1987. Gosnell was a champion of civil and human rights and worked diligently to ameliorate conditions for critically under- served American Indians and Latinos in the Southwest. Gosnell practiced for many years in federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

For more information about the NASW Foundation or educational scholarships, please visit www.naswfoundation.org or e-mail at naswfoundation@naswdc.org.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), in Washington, DC, is the largest membership organization of professional social workers with 145,000 members. It promotes, develops, and protects the practice of social work and social workers. NASW also seeks to enhance the well being of individuals, families, and communities through its advocacy.

http://www.socialworkers.org/pressroom/2009/gosnell2009.asp

3/4/2013