By SWDG Staff
May 2018
Spring has sprung, so it's time for Social Work Degree Guide to celebrate our first 2018 scholarship winner – Christy Rehbein! We're proud to fund $2,000 toward her upcoming graduate school endeavors.
Last December, Christy finished her Bachelor of Social Work at the University of Houston-Downtown with summa cum laude honors for an outstanding 3.83 GPA. She was recently accepted into the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, the U.S. News & World Report's #1 best social work school. Christy enters the MSW Program with hopes of becoming better qualified to uplift humanity in clinical, strengths-based practice.
Christy Rehbein impressed the SWDG committee with her dedication to returning to college later in life for altruistic ambitions. For nearly 20 years, Christy excelled as an offset printing specialist with Copy.com before deciding to jump all in for her social work passion. As a non-traditional student, she balanced her BSW study with working part-time and was still able to maintain such stellar grades that she made Dean's List six times from 2014 to 2017. Christy even went beyond her curriculum with Texas' DFPS Trauma Informed Care Training and the ASK About Suicide to Save a Life Training.
Fighting Against Injustices Affecting the Whole Human Race
Embracing the NASW Code of Ethics, Christy struggles to narrow her practice scope because she feels compelled to act on multiple community issues. In 2015, she started working with YES Prep Public Schools to provide inner-city, at-risk youth with after-school services. She's continually volunteered with the SEARCH Mobile Outreach Unit to bring much-needed supplies to Houston's homeless citizens. Christy helps the Houston Food Bank by sorting and packaging donated goods for delivery to the poor. She's also spent time with the Emergency Aid Coalition (EAC) that supports more than 70,000 low-income Houstonites lacking food and clothes.
Currently, Christy Rehbein is working for The Council on Recovery, a leading family-centric nonprofit founded in 1946 to assist those affected by addictions. As an administrative assistant for the Choicesâ„¢ Program, which partners with Houston-area high schools via a 4-year cohort based on relationship building and skills training, she has been involved in the process of obtaining Center on Addiction accreditation for the Choicesâ„¢ curriculum that focuses on reducing 15 specific high-risk adolescent behaviors. Her work has also included observing outreach screening assessments and researching substance abuse trends. The Council's Chief Operating Officer, Mary H. Beck, LMSW, remarks that Christy "always ensures the needs of our clients are met" with the "utmost integrity."
At Social Work Degree Guide, we're honored to select Christy Rehbein as one of the 2018 scholarship recipients. We value her enthusiasm for righting societal wrongs across populations while striving to help elderly baby boomers after graduation. Her unique interest in helping LGBT seniors access equitable housing and healthcare is extremely admirable. We're thrilled that the scholarship money will support Christy at the University of Michigan's School of Social Work soon. Our staff feels certain she can shine helping diverse people secure a good quality of life wherever her bright career leads. Congratulations, Christy!
Share Christy's Macro Social Work Goals? Apply by November 15th!
Whether you're just starting your BSW or completing your MSW, you could win the next Scholarship for Social Work in 2018. We're seeking more selfless practitioners like Christy who attempt to eradicate inequality and help the disadvantaged. To qualify, you must be a U.S. citizen enrolled at a CSWE-accredited institution with a minimum 3.0 GPA and a track record of serving the community. Your giving spirit could be rewarded with $2,000 to afford the rising expense of college tuition. Our committee looks forward to reading your application submitted to [email protected].