Kate Roberts, MSW (Class of ’93)
“As a social worker with two very different jobs, it is easy for me to see how the UM School of Social Work helped shape my present career path. Currently, I direct a statewide political campaign as well as maintain a private therapy practice in Portland, Maine. Because of the intimacy of the UM program, I was able to explore and experiment with both my passions – direct service and community action.”
“My professors noticed at an early point, my interest in a diverse career. They nurtured this interest with flexibility and encouragement to explore the rich and diverse opportunities within our field. The UM program gave me the confidence and courage to develop my own identity as a social worker, part therapist, part politican.”
Cyril Francis, MSW (Class of ’98)
“I am proud to be a graduate of the Master of Social Work Program at the University of Maine. As a Native American woman, I experienced and nearly succumbed to the some of the obstacles faced by my community. Through the self-help experience of overcoming a dependence on alcohol and drugs, I realized that I wanted a career in which I was helping people to help themselves. ”
“The faculty and my fellow students at the School of Social Work were accepting, understanding and supportive of my culture, language and perspective. I was able to have my MSW field placement with people from my own tribe, at a sister reservation. People there say that I’m an inspiration, that if I did it, they can do it. I am now the Coordinator for a new substance abuse treatment program at the Indian Township Health Centre in Princeton, Maine. I’ve found that people are more willing to ask for services when a tribal member is providing them.”
Elin Mackinnon, MSW, LCSW (Class of 1995)
“I attribute my success to the broad range of experience I gained at UMaine’s School of Social Work.”
“I never planned to be a social worker but an introductory social work class at UMaine inspired me to change my major. I am now the clinical consultant for experiential learning for Care Development in Bangor, Maine and work with an adolescent group home where we use both traditional and non-traditional therapeutic approaches. A specialist area of mine is horticultural therapy. In addition to my work, I now teach the introductory social work course at UMaine which originally inspired me to enter the social work profession.”
“My course work and my field placement work prepared me well for the work I do now. The school offers very extensive field placement opportunities and I have heard and seen that people coming out of this program are the most prepared for the social work field. They are really trained as generalist social workers to approach a lot of different challenges. The commitment of the people who teach in the department has given me a real passion for social work.”