Katherine Beauregard

Kate Beauregard

Minors

Psychology and Social Justice

Service Trip

Uganda Service Trip

Internship

Parent Child Center Intern at Lund in Burlington, VT

Favorite Class

Oppression and Empowerment

What is the best part about being in the Social Work major?

My experience within my major has had a huge positive impact on my overall experience at Champlain. Social Work is a small major, so I have grown very close to my cohort. I’ve connected with alumni from this program who have assisted with my field learning, worked closely with my professors, and established great relationships with members of my division.

How has the Upside-Down Curriculum impacted your education?

The Upside-Down Curriculum allowed me to enter a placement at the Converse Home in my very first year at Champlain. From this field placement, I was hired as a substitute, which helped build my résumé and knowledge base in working with older adults. This placement so early on in my college journey helped reinforce that I picked the right profession.

Can you tell us about your senior internship?

I am currently in my senior placement at Lund, where I work with three different programs. I work with Independence Place, which is transitional housing for families at risk of homelessness, and Lund’s residential treatment program, both of which I help run. I also work with a program called Kids-A-Part, where I take part in an initiative called Storybook at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility. Through this program, I record mothers reading stories for their children and assist with family visDivision of Information Technology & Sciences.My classwork did an excellent job of preparing me for my work in the field. Starting from my first year, I was given opportunities to work directly in the community. My third year, I took Generalist Practice, where I learned to apply skills in ethics and working with clients. As a senior, I have a weekly class to discuss what is occurring in the field.

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Kaya Mulligan

Favorite Class

Generalist Practice I

Are you part of any organizations on campus?

I am a Social Impact Scholar, which has been an incredible experience. We recently went on a Vermont Business trip to learn about local and sustainable businesses. I also had the opportunity to be a part of the Let Us Discuss event on campus and model inclusive communication on a variety of topics. Social Impact Scholars helps my voice be heard on campus and build meaningful connections with professionals in the Champlain and Burlington communities.

How has Champlain prepared you for life after graduation?

The Career Collaborative and Insight program have taught me so many valuable skills, like managing credit cards and how to negotiate my salary. Inside the classroom, the emphasis since day one has been on becoming a professional, and the professors see and you treat you as such.

How has the Core curriculum impacted your education?

The Core has made me aware of all the ways that disciplines work together. It is so unique to collaborate with Game Programming majors or Accounting majors on topics like globalization or gender. Having voices from all majors makes discussions unpredictable and unique.

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Liza Ryan

Majors

Social Work & Criminal Justice

Travel Course

Jordan

Internship

Burlington Police Department in Burlington, VT

Favorite Class

Differently Abled

What is the best part of the Social Work program?

Social Work is one of the smallest programs at Champlain, and I love it. The small classes are extremely beneficial because we can go through real-world experiences and ask any questions we have. We are also encouraged to go into the field early and often. My third year, I took a job in the Emergency Department at the University of Vermont Medical Center doing crisis work, and I already felt prepared at that point.

You have a really unique internship. Can you tell us about that?

I’m interning at the Burlington Police Department for my whole senior year. I have mostly focused on creative narratives for our bi-weekly “substat” meetings where we discuss any incidents we’ve had with individuals involved with substance use or serious mental health challenges. The goal of these meetings is to identify those in our community who need help, and then do outreach to gauge their interest in treatment, but also to let them know we’re here, we care about them, and we want them to succeed.My internship has given me lots of opportunities to see how law enforcement and social work go hand in hand.

What is the best thing about living on campus?

I may be biased because I’m an RA, but the sense of community in the first year residence halls is the best. I’m still friends with people I lived with my first year, and again as an RA of that same hall when I was a junior. I hang out with my residents, and they come cheer me on at hockey games.

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Halima Said

Majors

Social Work

Internship

King Street Center in Burlington, VT

Favorite Classes

Family Violence and Oppression & Empowerment

What classes, projects, subjects, or experiences have been the most meaningful or impactful for you?

My Capstone project has been very meaningful especially because I’ve been doing such great work at the King Street Center. The project has inspired me to get out of my comfort zone and because of that I’ve managed to create a girls group for the middle schoolers and it’s been very successful and impactful to the agency.

Tell us about your internship.

My internship was at the King Street Center. I wanted to go back to my roots, since the King Street community is somewhere that I’ve grown up. I used to be in the program when I was younger, up until high school. Since the agency didn’t have a girls group, I took it upon myself to create one.My goal was to create a safe space for girls of color to express themselves and talk about topics they may not feel comfortable talking about in other spaces, specifically when it comes to racial justice, social issues, and much more. The group has made an impact at the center, which was a goal of mine, and I’m glad I’ve created this group.
My classes prepared me for this in many ways. I’d say my facilitation skills have been something that I was working hard on in the classroom and after so much practice, I finally was able to do facilitation with no problem. I now feel like a natural leader because of the work I’ve done in the classroom and with my professors. I believe my experience will definitely give me a competitive advantage especially because in order to be a social worker, you truly have to learn how to work with people in the best way possible and that’s a skill that requires many steps. I’m seeing the results of my hard work coming together.

What advice would you give to a new or incoming Champlain student?

I would tell them to go out of their comfort zone and try new things. I used to be very shy and wouldn’t really go outside of my comfort zone. Champlain has made me become such a confident person that I’ve taken on important leadership roles like becoming president of the Phi Alpha Honor society as well as vice president for Black Student Union. Those are things my high school self couldn’t imagine me doing. The high school version of me would be so proud of my exponential growth and maturity.

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