Throughout the semester, The Fund for American Studies, has scheduled many guest speakers who provide career advice, professional development, and graduate school opportunities. This last week, we had opportunity to hear from two different representatives of DC graduate schools. One was for Georgetown University and their MBA program and the other was George Mason University and their law school. I have entertained the idea of both, so it was interesting to hear what it takes to apply to graduate school.
My dream has always been to go to law school but I never thought I would come near such an opportunity. My experiences at Glendale Community College and Arizona State University have shown me how much I am capable of and the fact that nothing is impossible for me if I believe. While in DC, I have asked attorneys for their advice on law school. More often than not, I was told, "Don't go." This surprised me. I was told I could advocate without going to law school, which is true but I didn't understand this reaction. Over time, I learned that right now is not a good time for the law field. There are limited job opportunities for them and it is extremely competitive for that reason. One perk of this being the case is that the law school representative said that because of this they have scholarship opportunities. I still haven't decided what I will do but I hope to figure it out as soon as possible. A masters in business has always been one of the paths to success that I have considered. As a public policy and services major, I am also earning a certificate in leadership and management. It would seem that an MBA couldn't hurt in providing me with opportunities to develop my management and leadership skills. Unlike law school, business schools are very competitive because the job market is more promising for those with an MBA as opposed to those with a law degree. Both programs are rigorous and require an intense amount of devotion. I know I want to attend graduate school but I am still deciding what path I will take as I have also considered a masters in Social Work.
1 Comment
The Education Department this week celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). They celebrated by hosting three events and launching an IDEA 40th Anniversary event page. There was an Anniversary Reception at the Hall of States, a White House Event, and an IDEA Symposium. I was asked to attend the IDEA Symposium on behalf of NDRN. It was held at the Education Department and I was excited about this event because IDEA changed the life of my own son, as well as the lives of so many others.
The event opened up with remarks from Arne Duncan, Secretary, U.S. Department of Education, Michael Yudlin, Assistant Secretary, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education, and Sue Swenson, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. After introductions, we were treated to short presentations from an expert panel of University Professors who have performed research that links to special education practice. We heard experts on Early Childhood, Literacy, Math, School Climate/Social Behavior, Secondary/Transition, Inclusion, and Teacher Training. One of the topics that I researched for many years and advocated for on behalf of my son was inclusion. In my research as a stay at home mother, desperate to help her son get the services that would help him progress toward a life of independence, I came across the writings of Michael Wehmeyer of the University of Kansas. He was the speaker on Inclusion at this event! I couldn't wait to hear what he said in a group of educators. He did not disappoint, he stated that research reveals that children with disabilities can, and should, reach education standards. He said the research reveals that inclusion does work best for children with disabilities. He challenged the audience to press forward in the work of raising standards, services, and resources for individuals with disabilities. It lifted my heart to hear many in the crowd nod their head in ascension, while one lady behind me snickered and made sarcastic comments. Many educators refuse to believe what the research reveals and work against moving children with disabilities into the general education environment. It is my hope that on every level, national, state, and local, leaders will challenge education agencies to provide a fair and appropriate public education for children with disabilities. Recently, we interns were given the opportunity to attend a live recording of an interview with Wall Street Journal Columnist, Peggy Noonan. Ms. Noonan has written eight books and is best known for her role in writing speeches for President Ronald Reagan. Her most recognized speech for him was the one she wrote for him after the space shuttle, Challenger, exploded mid-air while the nation watched on live television. The space shuttle received a lot of attention because of a school teacher who was allowed to train and take part in the shuttle. School children across our nation watched as she died in this explosion. This was a very difficult speech for President Reagan to deliver but he received a significant amount of positive feedback.
Ms. Noonan was interviewed at Sirius Radio, an internet radio broadcasting organization. As we filed into the studio, we were told that we were being given a copy of her new book, The Time of Our Lives. There was excitement in the air as we took our seats and looked all around at the camera, lighting, and set for the interview. The Sirius journalist talked to Ms. Noonan about the many interesting topics in the book. She discussed people that she met throughout her career that she missed. One such person was Joan Rivers. She shared how much she respected Joan Rivers and became dear friends with her. She said that Ms. Rivers was warm, open, and inquisitive. Ms. Noonan is a lovely, intelligent, and articulate woman who I enjoyed listening to. She has a wealth of stories and experiences that we all can benefit and learn from. It always makes me happy when an individual like Peggy Noonan records their experiences in life and the lessons they learned for others to benefit from, including future generations. On this blog entry, I am supposed to write about my internship organization's strength and what, if anything, I would do differently. NDRN's strength was easy, it's people. I say this not only because I sincerely like the individuals I have come to know and work with but also because I am so impressed by their intellectual abilities, accomplishments, and commitment to the work they do. Amy Scherer is a perfect example of this. I got to sit down with Amy and pick her brain about Vocational Rehabilitation services and her career path.
Don't let that sweet face fool you, Amy is a strong advocate and attorney for individuals with disabilities. She has spent her career focused on improving the lives of individuals with disabilities. Amy's expertise at NDRN is vocational rehabilitation services for individuals with disabilities and educational efforts to support the ongoing work of attorneys that NDRN supports at each state protection and advocacy center (P&As). She spends the better part of a year working on the annual conference that NDRN puts on for the P&As. Amy is not satisfied with efforts that limit the abilities of individuals with disabilities in the workplace. She believes that individuals affected by disability can, and do, have the ability to earn a livable wage with the appropriate supports and services. Amy got a bachelor degree and masters degree before working her first post-school job at a vocational rehabilitation agency. Through her work there, she became unsatisfied and disappointed with the lack of real effort to employ individuals with disabilities outside of sheltered workshops. She decided she could do more and went back to school to pursue a law degree. Amy explains that law is multi-faceted and requires many individuals in a variety of roles. Amy focuses on research and writing, instead of practicing law in the courts. Her work is essential to the success of the disability community at large and at NDRN. The only change that I could even think of to recommend for NDRN would be to take time, quarterly, to intentionally interact directly with individuals in the community with disabilities. Because their work is on the national level, it is always good to stay in touch with why you do what you do and what the attorneys they support face and deal with. I can't say that they don't do this; it is just a thought. NDRN employs several who have disabilities themselves. They do not discriminate in employment and I respect that greatly. One of the opportunities that TFAS has arranged for us is the opportunity to visit two different embassies. Our first visit was the Hong Kong Embassy. We were given some general economic information and then we were able to ask questions. Hong Kong is interesting because is is now a part of China but it operates as a free market.
Today, we visited the Netherlands Embassy. Two embassy staff spoke to us and answered questions for us. One was an expert in defense and the other was a public policy person focusing on the Middle East and Africa. The Netherlands is very concerned about climate change. Fifty percent of the nation is below sea level. Global warming has a significant impact on them because of this. In the afternoon, for our journalism class, we met at Politico. Politico is a news organization that has grown tremendously since it started in 2007. We were taken on a tour around the newsroom and the marketing department. We also were given time to ask questions. It was particularly interesting because we learned a lot about how each one came to work at Politico and what their degrees were. In June of this year, they moved to a new building. Their offices are nice and new and have spectacular views. The National Disability Rights Network is focused on public service because we work to support state protection and advocacy centers that are federally mandated for individuals with disabilities. State Protection and Advocacy Centers (P&As) assist individuals in state facilities, in the community, and veterans in issues that require advocacy. They also do a lot of work to educate the public, organizations, and public policy makers. One issue we have been tracking and advocating heavily on is the proposed bill HR 2646, otherwise known as the Murphy Bill. This bill is specific to individuals with mental health issues.
With all of the mass shootings in schools and other public places around our country, mental health issues have taken center stage. While we at NDRN agree that services have been lacking for individuals with disabilities, HR 2646 would take big steps backwards when it comes to the rights of individuals with disabilities and mental illness. To understand our objections to this legislation, read this document, http://ndrn.org/images/Documents/Advocacy/Legislation/PAIMI_Program_Concerns.pdf. I have done a lot of work at NDRN in regards to this legislation. I have tracked the bill daily on congress.gov. I let the policy team know if there are new Co-sponsors or not and what the total number of Co-Sponsors is. I have gone through all of the Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI) Program case reports to put together cases from each state represented on the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee. With this information, I constructed fact sheets for each state that could be distributed to each member of the committee. I also attended the recent mark up of the bill. It was truly interesting to watch the process of this legislation and amendments put forward live and in person. While we all want solutions that work to enhance mental healthcare accessibility to prevent violence across the country, we cannot do so by taking away individual rights of individuals with disabilities and mental illness. For those interested in learning more on this legislation, please consider reading these resources. http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/33557-mental-health-bill-caters-to-big-pharma-and-would-expand-coercive-treatments http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20151104/NEWS/151109940 http://ndrn.org/images/PAIMI/15_11_4_ACLU_Letter_to_Health_Subcmte_of_House_Energy_and_Commerce_Committee_Opposing_H_R__2646_FINAL.pdf http://ndrn.org/images/PAIMI/NCIL_Letter_of_Opposition_for_Helping_Families_in_Mental_Health_Crisis_H_R__2646.pdf One of the opportunities presented to interns is the option to meet with a mentor while in DC. This seemed like a great opportunity to me, so I signed up. We met our mentors for the first time at a nice breakfast served at TFAS on September 15th. I was pleasantly surprised when I met Lakeya Cherry, MSSW, LGSW. Lakeya is the Executive Director at The Network for Social Work Management. The Network for Social Work Management is comprised of social workers, working at all levels of management, across a broad and diverse range of human services organizations. The Network is dedicated to equipping social work managers with management skills at our annual conference and through our management standards. These standards define the characteristics associated with quality management and describe the competencies needed by those working in management positions. Their mission is "Strengthening social work leadership in health and human services." https://socialworkmanager.org/
Lakeya and I hit it off from the start. She is an intelligent, energetic, and committed leader. Our first two visits were times where we got to know each other better. We got to tell each other our stories and our goals. We have so much in common. Lakeya made herself available to me for questions anytime that I wanted and we stayed in touch between our meetings through email. Lakeya encouraged me to network with other professionals and to engage in social life. Being intentional about nurturing and caring for myself takes intention, especially with a busy work and class schedule, but with Lakeya's encouragement, I made it a priority. By the time we met again just after Halloween, I had been in DC for two months. My unique experiences through my internship helped me to form several questions that I was excited to ask Lakeya's advice about. At brunch, we caught up and I was able to ask her my questions. One of the questions I asked was whether or not it would be best to go right into graduate school or to start working somewhere and then go to graduate school later. She shared her opinions on this from a social work viewpoint and was able to tell me what some of the best graduate school programs were. I came away with a list of practical to do's that would move me forward as I continue to think of life after graduation in May. One of the adjustments of living in DC is not having my car. Many in DC do not have a car but choose to walk, take a bus, or the Metro. This lifestyle has its benefits and its drawbacks. On the one hand, there would be no car payment, no car insurance payment, no gas expenses, and no car upkeep expenses. This can save residents a lot of money.
Taking the time to navigate and plan your public transit each day based on your daily commitments and events is something that you have to get used to doing everyday. You can do a search for your scheduled meetings and find out what type of public transportation you need to take to get there if it is not in walking distance. This is essential for your time planning. You don't want to be late for your meetings and commitments. This means including a cushion for the unexpected delays that public transit can bring. One of the drawbacks of this lifestyle is the fact that you can't just jump in your car and head out whenever you want to. Another issue is going to the grocery store and shopping. I have bought a rolling cart that you can put your groceries in and roll back to your home. It can be challenging if you have to buy many canned goods or items in glass because it becomes a heavy haul. It can also be challenging depending on the distance there is to the grocery store. One benefit is the exercise that it forces you to accommodate as part of your lifestyle. |
Daphne ThompsonPursuing a Bachelor Degree in Public Services and Policy, Daphne is starting her senior year this fall. Archives
March 2016
Categories
All
|