HOLA from OLASW
Organization of Latino Social Workers-MI
Welcome!
The Organization of Latino Social Workers (OLASW) Michigan Chapter welcomes new and continuing members to our quarterly newsletter.
The primary mission of the Organization of Latino Social Workers (OLASW) is to define and advance the Latino agenda within the social work profession in the United States and Puerto Rico. OLASW is a national professional organization representing Latino social workers.
OLASW is characterized by its commitment to improving the overall health and psychological well-being of the Latino population. Toward this end, OLASW seeks to promote access to educational and economic opportunities for all Latino social workers.
We are very excited to be planning our educational summit to take place in the Spring of 2014, please check back for details.
In addition, we are working on bringing together organizations, practitioners, and researchers that are interested in joining a network dedicated to the social work profession and Latino communities.
This upcoming year will be very important for Latinos with issues such as health care, the economy, and potential immigration legislation taking place. Social workers and their allies can come together during these uncertain times to help bridge the gaps between clients and services while still advocating for long-term social justice issues and social change.
In this newsletter we begin this process by introducing you to our 2013-2014 Executive Board, and by outlining some important initiatives that are taking place.
Also, we plan to provide grant opportunities and employment openings here as well.
One other goal is for OLASW to reach out to and help promote our student organizations in various University and college campuses in Michigan. We hope to provide support and training for the next generation of social workers.
Finally, we encourage you and/or your organization to please become a member of OLASW. We will include our sign-up form and the fee structure below.
Pilar Horner, Ph.D., MSW
Co-President/Vice-President
Happy Holidays and Feliz Año Nuevo!
Elvia R. Krajewski-Jaime, PhD, LMSW, co-President & Treasurer
Dr. Krajewski-Jaime is professor of Social Work at Eastern Michigan University, where she has directed the School of Social Work, the Institute for the Study of Children, Families and Communities, the Center for Community Building and Civic Engagement and, most recently, the Graduate Program. Her teaching, scholarship, and practice efforts have been focused in the health and human services, particularly with culturally diverse populations. As the founder of the Mexico and England International Programs and a prolific grant writer, she has mentored numerous faculty and hundreds of students who have been involved in her grant projects. Her mentoring efforts have resulted in a large number of presentations at national and international conferences, and publications in books, journals, and monographs. Currently, Dr. Krajewski-Jaime is Vice President of Standards and Services at the National Association of Social Workers-Michigan Chapter, and is President and Treasurer of the Organization of Latino Social Workers. She holds a baccalaureate degree in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master’s degree in Social Administration from Temple University, and a Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin.
Pilar S. Horner, PhD, MSW, co-President, Vice-President
Dr. Pilar Horner received her joint Sociology and Social Work PhD from the University of Michigan and is currently an Assistant Professor with a joint appointment in the MSU School of Social Work and the Julian Samora Research Institute. Dr. Horner’s research looks at decreasing health disparities with an emphasis on Spanish-speaking communities; specifically her work examines how social and cultural aspects of health disparities can be addressed to improve services and health outcomes. Her areas of focus include HIV/AIDS cultural prevention strategies in Latin America and the United States; deportation effects on children and families; substance use and misuse, history of social welfare policy, and organizations. She is a qualitative researcher and teaches social welfare policy and advocacy courses at MSU. For more information, please visit: www.pilarhorner.com.
Esther Ayers, BSW, Secretary
Esther Ayers, is pursuing her MSW at the University of Michigan specializing in Child Welfare as a Child Welfare Scholar. Following graduate study, she aspires to work with immigrant populations in private practice and as an advocate in public policy to improve the intersection of the child welfare system with immigration policy in the United States. As an undergraduate student in the honors program at Eastern Michigan University, she completed a paper entitled: ”Is there Trauma and resilience in adolescents who experienced immigration raids?” In her undergraduate studies trajectory, Esther received numerous scholarships including the Ray Casanova Scholarship, the Eastern Michigan University Federation of Teachers EMUFT Lives Scholarship, the Flossie, Harries & Whyte Scholarship, and the El Jefe Scholarship. In Spring 2013, she was honored with the National Association of Social Workers “Undergraduate Student of the Year” award, and was named University of Michigan MSW Child Welfare Scholar.
Yvette Colon, PhD, LMSW, Webmaster
Yvette Colón, PhD, ACSW, BCD, is Psychosocial Specialist for the MetaCancer Foundation, which provides resources and support for advanced cancer patients and caregivers. For the last 23 years, she has provided bilingual social work services in a variety of nonprofit settings focused on pain management, oncology and end-of-life care. She also is on the faculty at Eastern Michigan University School of Social Work and Smith College School for Social Work.
Currently she serves as coordinator of the Association of Oncology Social Work’s Pain, Palliative Care & End of Life Special Interest Group, editorial board member of the Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy and President of the Center for Clinical Social Work. She has published and lectured extensively on psychosocial oncology, pain management, end-of-life social work practice, diversity, LGBT issues and technology-based social work services.
Dr. Colón holds a Master’s degree in clinical social work from Smith College School for Social Work and a Ph.D. in clinical social work from New York University.
Lourdes Mir-Orrange, MSW, Member-at-Large
Lourdes is a licensed clinical social worker who joined the Eastern Michigan University’s Counseling and Psychological Services team in 2007. She earned her Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to working at Eastern Michigan University, Lourdes worked in several outpatient mental health clinics, public health clinics, and at Cornell University’s Counseling and Psychological Services. Her experience includes working with clients with depression and anxiety, trauma, intimate relationship conflict, domestic violence, grief/loss issues, chronic illness, and phase of life problems. Lourdes’ areas of interest are women’s issues, family of origin issues, couples therapy, and working with students who suffer from depression and anxiety. She is especially interested in working with immigrants and international students around acculturation issues, and working with multicultural issues in therapy
Sophia Estrada, BSW, Member-at-Large
Gloria Tonks
Gloria Tonks was born in Chicago, IL. Her mother, Inés, is Puerto Rican and her father is American. She moved to Ypsilanti when she was four-years-old and attended South Arbor Academy. She graduated from Saline High School in 2011 and attended Washtenaw Community College for a year before transferring to Eastern Michigan University. In the spring of 2013 she lived in South Korea and taught English for six months. Gloria is now in her third year of college and is eager to become more involved in the Social Work program. She has a passion for sexual education, teens, and young mothers.
History of OLASW
For many years, Latino social workers worked with traditional professional organizations in order to highlight the needs of their Latino communities and to promote their unique agenda. This collaboration was seen as a crucial element beneficial to both the Latino community and to the profession itself. Because of the pressing needs and new challenges facing Latino communities, Latino social workers were called to organize their own institution. This led to the founding of the Organization of Latino Social Workers and its chapters throughout the United States.
Contact Us!
Email: info@olasw.org
Website: www.olasw.org
Location: 7652 Brookdale Court, Brighton, MI 48116-4738
Phone: (810) 919-4374