March 7, 2020
Five female students will share their educational journeys in the four University of Alabama social work programs, along with their successes during a unique, student-led panel discussion on March 11 in Little Hall.
The discussion, the second of the School of Social Work’s events in March to celebrate Social Work Month, will be held from noon to 1 p.m. in Room 2019 of Little Hall. The discussion is accessible via Zoom. Lunch will be provided.
The diverse panel will include women from multiple racial and ethnic backgrounds, as well as varying levels of field and research experiences. Wednesday’s panel will also include three doctoral-level students, including one from the School of Social Work’s newly-revived DSW program, which began in Fall 2019.
The panelists include:
Haley H. Beech, PhD student
Beech is a second-year doctoral student at the University of Alabama’s School of Social Work with a focus on maternal health social work, international social work, and intimate partner violence. Her work specifically focuses on reproductive health, reproductive justice, and human rights, domestically and abroad. Beech spent several years as an LMSW practicing international social work in the U.S. Currently, she utilizes community-based participatory research (CBPR) in rural, resource-limited settings in Alabama, focusing on the intersect of maternal health and intimate partner violence.
Krystal Dozier, PhD student
Dozier is a two-time graduate of The University of Alabama, having earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work. She is pursuing her Ph.D. in social work at UA. She is a recipient of the Laura Langley Social Justice award and co-president of the Doctoral Social Work organization at UA. Her research focuses on first-generation college students, specifically students of color and the ways to bridge the gap between higher education and social work research to support these students.
Shaina Daquioag, BSW student
Daquioag is taking advantage of her experience as a first-generation immigrant to inspire her goals as a social worker. She was originally born in the Philippines, and her ability to easily relate to the hardships that many immigrants face today has provoked her passion and inspired her goals to minimize adversity among this population. After finishing her field placement on Capitol Hill and working under Congresswoman Terri Sewell, Daquioag has grown an interest in pursuing social justice at the legislative level. She believes that the profession of social work has given her the appropriate tools to advocate, and she’s eager to exercise these tools and to continue her education at the University of Wisconsin Madison Law School this fall.
Erika Williams, LMSW, UA DSW Student
Williams is currently employed as the BSW program director at Miles College in Fairfield, a position she’s held since January 2018. Prior to serving in this role, Williams served as the field coordinator, which she began in 2016. She has also served as an adjunct instructor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham since 2016, where she teaches classes in the BSSW program. She has served as a field supervisor, supervising BSW and MSW students, as well as a member of the Jefferson County Department of Human Resources Quality Assurance team, and the National Runaway and Homeless Youth Coalition Board. She is a currently a student in the Doctorate of Social Work Program at The University of Alabama, where her concentration is organizational leadership. She is a graduate of Alabama A & M University, where she received her MSW. She received her BSSW degree from the UAB.
Angela (Angie) Smith, MSW student
Smith is an advanced-standing MSW student, who will graduate in May 2020. Currently, Smith is the GSWO treasurer, MSW representative on the Social Work Society Board, a member of Tide Together Mentoring Program, and a McNair Fellowship recipient. As an undergraduate student, Smith was selected as a McNair Scholar, where she conducted and completed a summer research project to understand if using VR technology could help people who have experienced public speaking anxiety. Her research has since been published in the International Journal of Liberal Arts and Social Science. Her goal, as a future social worker, is to identify ways to help provide health care services by way of insurance for all. Unfortunately, people in low-income and vulnerable communities, including the elderly and disabled, have a plethora of issues when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. She also wants to counsel people through private practice and provide realistic self-obtainable goals. Smith was accepted into the UA social work Ph.D. program and will start her doctoral degree in August 2020.