Initiative Category: Social Work
Trinity is proud to be named one of the top 10 Bachelor of Social Work programs in the state of Illinois by SocialWorkDegree.org.
In order to be considered for the ranking list, each program must be accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The 2019 Best Social Work Programs methodology employs median mid-career salary data from PayScale that is specific to BSW and MSW programs. Each rankings page also includes a list of the most affordable programs, based on manually researched annual tuition rates by degree level and program type.
Trinity’s BSW program prepares students for community-centered generalist social work practice taught from a Christian perspective. The program emphasizes that community well-being is essential to a common good, that each community has gifts and assets, and we are called to participate in the life of a community. Students leave on fire to make a difference in the world.
From the time she was a young girl, Lissette Lopez ‘12 had dreams of making a difference. By the time she reached high school, she had identified a career path that would help her become a difference maker: social work.
Growing up in Chicago and later moving to Alsip, Ill., Lissette studied in the Chicago Public Schools before enrolling at Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, Ill. After receiving her associate’s degree, she transferred to Trinity to obtain her bachelor’s degree. “Going from public schools to a private school was a change. The class size was vastly different – it was much more intimate,” Lissette shares. “When I first got a tour of Trinity, the people I met with were so warm and welcoming, not pushy.”
As a commuter student, Lissette felt like she was as fully immersed into the Trinity community as any other student. She appreciated how the professors helped commuters stay closely connected to on-campus activities. Salsa classes, fireside chats, pizza parties, and school dances are just a few activities Lissette looks back on with fond memories.
Once Lissette was accepted into the social work program at Trinity, she found plenty of hands-on opportunities: tutoring immigrants who were trying to become U.S. citizens, volunteering at a retirement home near campus, and working with a domestic violence agency that helped school-aged kids.
Dr. Rose Malinowski, field education program coordinator at Trinity who helped social work students like Lissette find opportunities to practice what they have learned, was a hands-on, experienced social worker. “She led by example with her compassion, spirit, and connection to God.” Even today, Lissette makes an effort to stay in touch with her professors. “You can tell the professors really care.”
For the past five years, Lissette has been able to use her social work degree at the Cook County Sheriff’s Department. She directs women’s programming projects at the Cook County Jail, specifically focused on substance abuse and trauma, and also oversees a human trafficking initiative. Lissette spends much of her time helping women who are pregnant while incarcerated. Additionally, she manages up to seven interns over the course of a year.
“My favorite part is watching women transform before my eyes. They come in to our programs very broken – physically and spiritually – and I am able to see the light come back to their eyes.”
Today, in the midst of pursuing her doctorate degree, Lissette is continuing her Trinity story by serving on the alumni board and an advisory board for the social work department. With God as her guide, she is able to take what she has learned and make a difference through her career.
As part of a yearly tradition for Trinity’s Social Work Department, a group of students, faculty, and practitioners visited the state capitol in Springfield, Ill., for the National Association of Social Workers-IL Chapter Advocacy Day on April 3, 2019.
A dozen students, along with Dr. Cini Bretzlaff-Holstein, department chair and associate professor of social work; and Dr. Allison Tan, assistant professor of social work, attended the event.
The Trinity group spent the day with more than 1,000 fellow participants from around the state in educational sessions and advocacy activities.
Trinity’s Social Work Department recently welcomed the newest inductees to the College’s Phi Xi Chapter of Phi Alpha, the national honor society for social work.
As Dr. Allison Tan, Ph.D., assistant professor of social work, said during the ceremony, member of Phi Alpha agree to recognize and encourage scholastic schievement among the students who are majoring in social work; improve and further the goals and objectives of social work by encouraging objectivity and awareness of current developments and practices in the various fields of social work; and further these goals by stimulating research in preparation for a career in social work.
Honorees:
- Karlyn Boens
- Mallory Boes
- Mallory Boyce
- Mikayla Cairo
- Michael Carthage
- Emily Groelsema
- Tiffany Henderson
- Haley Hoffman
- Faith Moore
- Vanessa Murillo
- Francesca Strolia
- Daisy Vazquez
- Nicole Wiegers
- Kylie Wilson
“These candidates have been elected by this society on the basis of their scholarly achievement and interest in social work,” said Tan. “I congratulate them and welcome them into the Phi Xi Chapter of the Phi Alpha Honor Society.”
Trinity also inducts an honorary member into the chapter. This year’s honorary member is LaVon Engbers ’99, a Trinity graduate who has served on the Social Work Department’s advisory group and as a guest lecturer at the College.
Experiential learning at its finest! Our professors and 18 students from our Social Work program took part in the 2018 Advocacy Day in Springfield, IL on Wednesday, April 11. They joined with 1,000+ social workers and students from across Illinois to attend educational seminars and lobbying at the State Capitol!
We are proud of their advocacy efforts on behalf of important issues facing social workers today.
Trinity Christian College’s newly formed chapter of Phi Alpha, the national honor society for social work, inducted its first members on April 7, 2016. Two faculty members and 20 students made up the inaugural class of the Phi Xi Chapter, along with honorary member Dr. Brad Breems, retired professor of sociology.
The purpose of the Phi Alpha Honor Society is to provide a closer bond among students of social work and promote humanitarian goals and ideas. According to the society’s website, Phi Alpha fosters high standards of education for social workers, and its members have attained excellence in scholarship and achievement in social work.
The induction ceremony included candle lighting and the presentation of certificates and honor cords. As Bianca Solis ’17 said during the invitation to candle lighting, “You, as members of the Phi Alpha Honor Society, represent the best and the brightest in the world of social work.”
While not a social worker, Breems was recognized for his contributions in establishing the vision and laying the groundwork for what would become the social work program at Trinity. Breems provided a short history of Trinity’s social work program, beginning with the “Theory of Social Work” class offered during the 1968-69 academic year to the establishment of a sociology program to the social work degree program that exists today. “We have grown through the strength of the faculty and the academic excellence exhibited by today’s inductees,” he said.
This year’s inductees were:
Faculty Members
- Prof. Cini Bretzlaff-Holstein
- Prof. Lisa Doot Abinoja
Student Members
- Kayla Bakhshi ’16
- Cassandra Boyd ’16
- Victoria Brady ’16
- Michelle Busscher ’16
- Cendy Delgado ’16
- Miranda Deuter ’16
- Aracely Diaz ’16
- Danielle Dougherty ’16
- Brittany Dykstra ’17
- Nelida Elizondo ’16
- Abigail Gibson ’16
- Sarah Gillespie’17
- Elizabeth Jones ’16
- Sarah Kischkel ’16
- Natalie Lavaretto ’16
- Hannah Limback ’17
- Anneliese Lokken ’16
- Angela Pappas ’16
- Bianca Solis ’17
- Rachel Toren ’16