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Early Years I was born the oldest, after my parents experienced the loss of two children before me.  My father always wanted a big family and my mother was born Roman Catholic and “didn’t believe in birth control”, so after me … Continued

Who am I becoming? One of the thoughest questions one could ask itself, but I hope to have an answer by the end of this short essay. My name is Sammy and my journey started in my home country, Colombia. … Continued

I ran lap after lap in July Texas heat when I reminded myself that in order to make my dream a reality, I had to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Growing Up Poor in a Big … Continued

Meeting Myself I sincerely appreciate the bitter irony in writing a blog about the person I am becoming for a class that I am now taking for the second time. I originally took this class as a first semester Freshman … Continued

Ever since my first memory I have changed countless times, but it can be hard to gauge if it’s for better or worse. I was born in New York and raised there until i was 11 years old. I am … Continued

I was raised with my four siblings in the small town of Chandler, Oklahoma by my parents who instilled in me that family was everything. Blood is thicker than water. You can achieve a life of great blessings and endeavors … Continued

Me: My name is Mel Maendel, I grew up in Lakewood Colorado. I have an older sister and a younger brother. My mother is my one and only parent. I am very family oriented. I have an ESA named Leonard. … Continued

I am originally from Lafayette, Louisiana. Parts of me believe I grew up in the water, I was always swimming, on the beach, or on a boat. Louisiana also loves to party. We have have 100 festivals a year. Think … Continued

My name is Victoria Tichenor and this is my story. I was originally born in a small town outside of Staunton, VA. My parents then had my little brother pictured two years later. We were a normal, happy family until … Continued

Where I come from My name is Joshua Clayton Fine. I was born and raised in North Pole, Alaska. My dad was a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Air force and my mom was library intern at North Pole High … Continued

Now, all my life, I have been told to work as hard as I physically can and to shut people out, only letting them in when I have accomplished something worth sharing. However, since moving away from home (Los Angeles, … Continued

My identity, roots, and cultural background are intertwined. I am not one without the other. As a first-generation Mexican-American, traditions, language, food, and culture are who I am.  My parents did not leave behind their beliefs when moving to the … Continued

I yam fifty-six years old and finally finishing a degree I began when I was eighteen, and attending UAF. I live in Walla Walla, Washington, but was raised in North Pole, Alaska. I spent nearly thirty years getting intimate with … Continued

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Thriving in the military can be a challenging endeavor, but with the support of social workers, one can effectively manage the demands of this lifestyle and lead a fulfilling life. This week, we have the privilege of watching an interview … Continued

Episode 35: Revolutionizing Social Work | A Reasoning Session with Causha Links: The Host The Host of The Critical Social Worker is Christian Ace Stettler. This is the 35th episode of this podcast. He is a professor of social work … Continued

Mental Health and Substance Use: Insights from Social Work ( Chapter 10 ) In the realm of social work, few areas are as intricate and demanding as the field of mental health and substance use. Social workers play a pivotal … Continued

Thanksgiving, a time of togetherness and grace,Holds significance for my family, in every embrace.As a child, I eagerly awaited this day,Anticipating joy that would come my way.It equaled, or maybe even exceeded, Christmas cheer,A cherished occasion that brought loved ones … Continued

I chose to cultivate my critical reflection on the article More Healing More of theTime By: Dori Midnight. Before I can state why I felt inclined to reflect on this article, I will say whythis article called out to me. … Continued

Linda Thai She is a mental health clinician, storyteller and an educator whom has lived her own life with individual, collective, historical, cultural, traumatic and healing experiences. Linda uses her background in trauma therapy, somatic therapies and yoga to guide … Continued

I had the pleasure of navigating my anti-racism through critical lens on the podcast 34 stories of revolution; unveiling the struggle with The hosts Hali Kweli Shakur, Christian Stettler and David Sheldon. Starting from the beginning, I realize this podcast … Continued

Episode 34 Stories of Revolution: Unveiling the Sturggle with Haki Kweli Shakur In this episode of The Critical Social Worker: A Revolutionary Storytelling Podcast; Our host Christian Ace Stettler and co-host David Shelton are joined by Haki Kweli Shakur. Together they … Continued

The Critical Social Worker Podcast is hosted by none other than our very own proffessor, Christian Ace Stettler. The main goal and mission of this podcast is to look at different perspectives on a variety of topics by hearing peoples … Continued

Honestly it really saddens me to read that social workers aren’t trained in how to understand and assist military personal and their families. I come from a long line of family members who served in the military, it’s a big … Continued

There are approximately 16.2 million veterans living in the United States. Each branch of the United States military has it’s own quirks, communication style and set of rules and regulations. This can make the transition from Active Duty to civilian … Continued

As a dedicated member of the Alaska Air National Guard, I have gained a unique perspective on the flaws in the veteran care system that often go unnoticed. Additionally, I have gathered insights from my mother-in-law, who has worked at … Continued

Before we dive into disparities and ethical issues with the US criminal justice system, it is important that we first understand how it works. Social workers need to have an understanding of their client’s needs, situation, and rights in order … Continued

The Critical Social Worker is a podcast hosted by our very own professor Christian A. Stettler, with Co-Host David Shelton and guest Haki K. Shakur. David Shelton EPISODE 34: UNVEILING THE STRUGGLE Episode 34 of the Critical Social Worker podcast … Continued

I really enjoyed listening to this episode of the Critical Social Worker podcast. It felt like I was tuning in to my favorite radio show. Usually, the only news or show I watch is Democracy Now with Amy Goodman, because … Continued

Skills & Knowledge Media Depiction There are many fields the social worker can perform when working in criminal justice. As a social worker you will be working with the criminal population who most have a long history of trauma and … Continued

Testifying is providing spoken evidence to the court. It can be stressful for anybody, just remember that as a social worker, you should not offer legal advice to a client because this is not your area of expertise. Offering legal … Continued

Holiday traditions can vary from each family. There are so many different things that we all do during the holidays that whether you realize it or not, you’re making it a tradition. All the cleaning, decorating, prepping, cooking, serving, whether … Continued

Background Info TransformHarm.org is a website whose goal is to end violence. It isn’t an organization or for-profit business that will charge you for using their website. The main focus of the resource hub is to provide some helpful information, … Continued

I miss home sometimes… But Let’s talk about the FOOD! That’s what our Christmas was all about back home… Bahamian cuisine refers to foods and beverages within the Bahamas, which is a part of our culture. It includes foods such … Continued

Traditions are hard to come by in my family. When I was young, and most everyone in my family all lived in Washington, we would all go to my great-grandmothers for the day. She’d make tons of food, and we’d … Continued

I grew up in a Christian household, and Christmas always had a different meaning to me than what one might consider some of the “norms” surrounding the holiday. Those norms include the idea of Santa Claus, how Christmas celebrates gift-giving, … Continued

My birthday is November 22nd. Every year I share my birthday with my twin sister. Every few years I share it with Thanksgiving. Growing up I felt like I always got less than I deserved for my birthday. In elementary … Continued

My Thoughts on “The Patron Saint of Capitalism: Parents dream of a less-commercialized Christmas” Article Link: https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/opinion/2018/12/15/how-old-santa-claus-history-santa-claus/2221082002/ It is expected that parents would dream of a less commercialized Christmas. Even though Christmas is supposed to simply be a religious holiday, … Continued

A Day Off, Not a Day of Freedom For me….. As the Fourth of July approaches, a dissonance within me grows every year. It’s a national holiday widely celebrated across the United States, but the festivities and fireworks find no … Continued

AMERICAN LEGENDS LIVE LONG LIVES I would like to take note of the observations of the topics that we had to choose from and why I picked Thanksgiving. First of all, I noticed that two of the topics are “perceived” … Continued

Chronixx’s Christmas anthem hit me like a festive revelation – cool and utterly distinctive. The lyrics wove a poetic spell, triggering thoughts about how people from all walks define and revel in holidays, be it Christmas, Hanukkah, or any personalized … Continued

I searched up the definition for Thanksgiving and two popped up. One is ”the expression of gratitude, especially to God.” The other definition is “an annual national holiday held in North America marked by religious observances and a traditional meal … Continued

The article “The Patron Saint of Capitalism” really encompasses the spirit of Christmas and my exact sentiments surrounding the holiday. It is a stressful holiday for many families and store workers. People wait in lines for hours to be the … Continued

(Image obtained from https://thewaynestater.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Its-beginning-to-look-a-lot-like-Christmas-1-900×900.png) Growing up, I did not always get to experience Christmas in the same conventional ways that other kids got to experience it. I would see my classmates come back from break with new clothes, toys, gifts, … Continued

Christmas was always one of the most celebrated holidays back in the island, every year in American Samoa, Christmas celebrations are magical. Christmas has always been my favorite holiday; it brings back so many memories of my childhood. Growing up … Continued

Christmas at my house isn’t really anything special. Neither my mom’s side, nor my dad’s side is religious, so it kind of just feels like a weekend that’s a little more relaxing than usual. On both my mom’s and dad’s … Continued

Christmas was magical to me growing up, my parents pulled out all the stops to make this holiday feel special for all of their seven children. We would wake up to stockings stuffed full and presents stacked high under the … Continued

Santa Claus, Do you Ever Come to the Ghetto? This song seems to express emotions of sadness. Santa never comes to the ghetto and this has an important message seeing as how it reflects how children may be feeling. He … Continued

Reflections of my personal relationship with Christmas, and what it means to me today A Brief History of Santa According to Eric Connor of the Greenville News, Saint Nicholas was a gift bearer from 4th century Eastern Roman Empire Christianity … Continued

The Christmas season has always been a magical one for me. Between the snow, the candlelit church services, the Christmas music, and all of the festive lights it is easily my favorite time of year. However, I know that is … Continued

Christmas Growing Up: I grew up very poor, but when I look back, I’ve always had a great Christmas. My dad told us, growing up, that Santa came to our house once, and my dad thought he was robbing us, … Continued

Christmas has always been a very important holiday in my life. We’ve celebrated Christmas every year for my entire life but it probably looks a lot different than the stereotypical, modern Christmas celebration. For most people, Christmas is all about … Continued