HUMAN SERVICES

Department

FALL 2018

PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE IN THIS ISSUE

Assistant Professors

Academic Advising

Field Work

Study Abroad

HUSSA

Faculty

Events

Alumni and Resources

WELCOME FROM THE DEPARTMENT CHAIR WELCOME FROM THE DEPARTMENT CHAIR

Dear Human Services students, alumni/ae, colleagues, and friends,

You are reading our first Human Services Department newsletter, which

is very exciting for us and it’s been a long time coming! We plan to use this newsletter to not only

build community, but to keep you informed of our activities, news, and just to keep in touch. I

came to the CSUDH Human Services Program (HUS) in 2013 when the program had about 200

students. We now have about 400 students, so we have doubled in size. While this increase is

certainly exciting, we have also been engaging in the continual process of updating the curriculum,

strengthening the field component by instituting high impact practices, started to offer hybrid and

online courses, and embarked on offering study abroad courses in Vietnam and Norway (which

happened Fall 2017). All these endeavors have been met with broad support from students,

faculty, staff, the university, and the community. As a result of this support, we received

commendations from the university, during our six-year review, for being able to offer high

quality education with very limited resources.

In addition to this newsletter being a first, during the last four years, the HUS faculty and students

collaborated by starting a HUS student association (Human Services Student Association, or

HUSSA), which has been one of the most active student groups on campus. The leadership of

HUSSA has been invited to use this newsletter to report their activities, so I encourage you to read

about them and support HUSSA in whatever capacity you can. I believe student involvement on

campus and community activities is one of the best ways to enhance and enrich ones’ college

experience.

We also have a distinguished group of community HUS professionals who have agreed to serve as

members of the HUS Advisory Group. This group will begin meeting soon and will serve in an

advisory capacity to the HUS department in an effort to provide the best education to our

students. To that end, I invite you to be involved, to engage, and to collaborate with us so that we

can truly be a community of partners. In each other, we will find inspiration to innovate and move

the department into the next phase of its development. Please email me with feedback and

questions/suggestions at pphan@csudh.edu. Thank you.

Phu Phan, MSW, PhD

Professor and Chair

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY DOMINGUEZ HILLS

HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT 2

Professor Sarah Underwood is a new faculty member at CSUDH and a new resident

of Southern California. After finishing her PhD in August, she came to Dominguez

Hills excited and ready to teach Human Services. Dr. Underwood's background is in

social work, with a focus in adolescent psychosocial health. She looks forward to

getting to know all of you better.

Professor Annalyn Valdez-Dadia is a new faculty member at CSUDH. She joins

the California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) family with more

than 16 years of experience in the field of Public Health. Dr. Valdez-Dadia’s

research interests lie in cancer survivorship and patient navigation, in which

direct access to cancer support services for patients and caregivers are of

primary focus, as well as studies that focus on improving health care access for

underserved communities. She is excited to be part of the HUS program!

It has been my honor and privilege to join the HUS family since fall of 2015. As I

have shared with many of you in class, HUS holds a special place in my heart

because of our incredibly dedicated and resilient students, and a community of

faculty and staff who are committed to our students' success. I come to work each

day looking forward to not only teaching you about human services but also

learning from you what it means to be a good teacher and mentor. Despite a

full course load, multiple jobs, internship hours, family obligations, and financial

constraints - just to name a few - you still make it to class. You inspire me! I look

forward to walking with many of you at graduation in May 2019!

Assistant Professors

Hannah Nguyen, PhD

Sarah Underwood, PhD

Annalyn Valdez-Dadia, DrPH

HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT 3

Greetings Human Services Majors! We are very excited to announce that Cristina

Prado will be the new Human Services Advisor. Ms. Prado has worked with the

College of Health, Human Services and Nursing (CHHSN) for 10 years before joining

our Advising Team. She began her work as a Student Assistant in the School of

Nursing, continued as Program Assistant for 8 years, and in 2017 became the

CHHSN College Scheduler. She has worked closely with the College Curriculum

Committee and was part of the Academic Affairs Space Facilities Committee. She is

an alumna, with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology (2011), and a Master of Arts in

Sociology (2014). Ms. Prado is ready to take appointments and meet with you. Please

help us welcome her by stopping by and saying hello (WH, C-300; 310-243-2120).

Human Services Advisor

Fieldwork Coordinator

Hello students! Welcome to the 2018-2019 Academic Year. One of the most

exciting parts in the Human Services curriculum is fieldwork! We have many

Fieldwork Agencies in the Agency List, which is posted online. Check out

some new agencies on the list, such as the Orange County Probation

Department. Please let me know of any changes to the list as you start calling

and/or emailing these agencies, so that we can keep Agency List up to date. We

look forward to walking with you on this journey!

America Islas

Fieldwork Coordinator

Cristina Prado

Academic Advisor

HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT 4

STUDY ABROAD Norway Study Abroad International Trip In April 2017, five students and a faculty member came to visit the HUS Department at CSUDH and in October 2017,

five Human Services students left for Norway with Dr. Phu Phan for an exchange project with the University

College of Southeast Norway! The international exchange included a comparison of how social welfare is provided

in both countries by visiting each other’s campuses, conducting tours of service providers, and participating in a lot

of wonderful and exciting activities. The students had a great time learning and interacting with each other, many

of which formed life-long relationships. Keep an eye out for upcoming international study abroad opportunities

within the near future!

HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT 5

Vietnam Study Abroad International Trip On December 26, 2017, fifteen Human Services students left for Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam with Professors Allison and

Sueki for a 2-week trip! After an intense period of pre-trip seminars, they were suddenly in Vietnam for the course. The

students engaged with university students at local institutions, worked with homeless people, and participated in several

field visits to community agencies. The students were very excited to travel abroad and tour Vietnam, learning about the

Vietnamese culture and about social services in another country. The collage below tells only part of their trip, so you will

have to talk to the students who studied aboard to get the other half of the story.

STUDY ABROAD

HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT 6

“PEOPLE UNITING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE”

The objective in the field of Human Services is to assist individuals and communities to function as effectively as possible

in the major domains of living. Human Services students are individuals with a passion and an innate desire for helping

others who require assistance by providing services that can positively impact their lives. CSUDH Human Services

students learn to develop a deep understanding of individuals and families, and how to best help them. Students are

exposed to great opportunities for networking, fieldwork experiences, and in sharing and advocating for good causes. By

joining the Human Services Student Association (HUSSA), students will be able to contribute to populations and

communities in need by volunteering their time and assisting with fundraising events for the community.

In the past, HUSSA has given back to the homeless population by hosting 2 events: (1) a “Can Food Drive” in which can

donations were taken to the homeless community in the City of Carson, and (2) “Feed the Homeless” where blankets,

coats, clothing, and food were donated to feed the homeless in Los Angeles’ Skid Row after Thanksgiving. HUSSA

members also collected undergarment donations and distributed them to a mental health recovery program, as well as

arranged a job fair for our United States Veterans and a fundraiser at Pieology Pizzeria.

Additionally, HUSSA provided art and stone therapy during their group meetings to help CSUDH students release some

stress that often accumulates during mid-semester exams and assignments. The members of this association have also had

fun by organizing karaoke night, where professors and students serenaded each other with their harmonious voices.

HUSSA members also started a new tradition called, “Friendsgiving.” During this event, HUS students and staff come

together for a potluck reunion before the Thanksgiving celebration and school break. Recently, HUSSA had their first

resource fair, which involved partnering with El Nido Family Services to provide a group of teen parents the opportunity

to explore and build stronger social connections between themselves, community resources, and CSUDH students. It was

a way to empower and encourage these young parents to continue their education, and it provided CSUDH students with

possible internship sites and job opportunities. HUSSA is always looking for new members, so come and join them!

HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT 7

Meet the Faculty of Human Services

Daniel Brezenoff, LCSW

Lecturer

Academic Years: 5

Areas of Expertise: Social

Work, Mental Health,

and Political Advocacy

Al Garcia, MSW

Lecturer

Academic Years: 13

Areas of Expertise: Mental

Health and Substance Abuse

Meka Brown, MA, MS

Lecturer

Academic Years: 5

Areas of Expertise: Aging,

Social and Community

Services, and Non-profit

Administration

Carmen McCorvey, MSW

Lecturer

Academic Years: 5

Areas of Expertise: Social

Work, Child Welfare

Tri Le, MSW

Lecturer

Academic Years: 11

Areas of Expertise: Social

Work, Community

College Counseling

Heidi Rhoades-Allison,

LCSW

Lecturer

Academic Years: 7

Areas of Expertise: Social

Work and Mental Health

HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT 8

Human Services Department

Lisa Sueki, PhD

Lecturer

Academic Years: 5

Areas of Expertise:

Multicultural Affairs

and Advocacy

Jacqueline Stevens, MSW

Lecturer

Academic Years: 5

Areas of Expertise:

Clinical Social Work,

Child Welfare, Coaching

and Mentoring, and

Reflective Supervision

HUS New Student Orientation 1st Annual HUS Internship Fair September 14, 2018 September 25, 2018

10:00 am - 1:00 pm 3:00 – 6:00 pm

Claudia Hampton Hall (WH-165) LSU, Ballroom B

Facilitator: America Isles Facilitator: America Isles

4th Annual Speakers’ Bureau HUS Resume Workshops October 18, 2018 November 1st & 8th, 2018

LSU, Ballroom C LSU, Room 326

5:00 - 8:00 pm 4:00 – 5:00 pm

Facilitator: Meka Brown Facilitator: Heidi Rhoades-Allison

Alma Melena, MA

Lecturer

Academic Years: 6

Areas of Expertise:

Advising, Coaching and

Mentoring

HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT 9

Hello Toro family! I have had the pleasure of being a student and assistant during my

time at CSUDH. I graduated December of 2016 and got a job in the human services field.

I was offered a position as a Case Manager-DV Victim Advocate at Lutheran Social

Services in Garden Grove, CA, where I was an intern during my last semester. The

internship afforded me the opportunity to become employed with this agency starting at

$20.00 an hour. I believe this was made possible due to the outstanding support and

education at CSUDH. I truly enjoyed all of my experiences at CSUDH and I grew

immensely through self-discovery. I would like to thank the faculty and staff for

advising and mentoring me and for the patience that was given to me. This is only the

beginning of my career and I plan to apply for graduate school too. Keep doing a great

job with the human services students. I am proof of what happens when great

individuals such as the faculty in the HUS department gets involved! Coming from a

low income and broken home, teen parent and a dreamer, I am now on a path to

success! Thanks, again.

Human Services Resources

Alumni of Human Services By Ignaly Dircio

Are you curious about the jobs and/or the salary ranges that are available in

Human Services? Do you want to know about the Human Services credentialing

process and how to become a Human Services-Board Certified Practitioner (HS-

BCP)? Check out the resources below.

www.nationalhumanservices.org/

www.socialservice.com

www.ihiresocialservices.com

www.nationjob.com/hs

https://www.indeed.com/q-Human-Services-jobs.html

https://www.monster.com/human-services-careers

https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Employer...of_Human_Services/Salary

For additional resources, please visit the Human Services Department, located at

the East Academic Complex (EAC) 902.

HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT 10

NEWSLETTER STAFF Credits

Design and Layout Meka Brown

Pamela Curtis

Editor Meka Brown

Acknowledgements We would like to thank the CSUDH Department of Human Services for their input to help materialize

our first department newsletter. Thanks to our students for sharing their photos from the study abroad

trips and the Human Services Student Association (HUSSA) for your contribution. We could not have

done this without the faculty, staff, or our students. Thank you!