Social Work Goes Global
Each year, School of Social Work students, faculty and staff travel the globe in hopes of building bridges and relationships with others.
While a bulk of the time spent abroad is through a field placement, research project, service experience or other work, they also spend time
seeing the wonders of the country they are visiting. A sampling of students participating in Global Field Placements, Global Independent
Study projects, and Peace Corps opportunities, as well as Office of Global Activities staff, are shown here. For more information about
these programs, visit the Office of Global Activities website.
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Students
Amer Abdulghafoor & Rachel Marks
Global Independent Study
Capetown, South Africa
Amer Abdulghafoor (MSW '15) and Rachel Marks (MSW '15) visit Cape Town, South Africa while doing a Global Independent Study with a local organization.
Marisa Horn
Global Independent Study
Capetown, South Africa
Marisa Horn (MSW '16) sees the sights in Capetown, South Africa. Marisa worked with One Heart Source, a non-profit organization that brings in volunteers to mentor and tutor youth.
Lauren Birks
Peace Corps Masters at Michigan
Costa Rica
Lauren Birks (MSW '17) supported youth through her work as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica. While there, she was able to connect with locals, enjoy the food, culture and language, and travel to various places around the country, all the while representing the University of Michigan.
Charlie Brink
Global Independent Study
Namibia
Charlie Brink (MSW '17) participated in research in eastern Congo, a country she has become familiar with through a Peace Corps experience there. She visited a fellow Peace Corps volunteer, Claudia Roen (left) in Namibia while staying with her host family there, The Zimbas (center).
Julianne Fewless
Global Independent Study
Koondoola, Australia
Julianne Fewless (MSW '15) interacts with animals in Australia while teaching primary school children of refugees in the city of Koondoola.
Missy Orr
Global Activities Scholars Program
Nashik, Maharashtra
Missy Orr (MSW '16) explores the Pandavleni Caves in Nashik Maharashtra for a weekend while doing a global field placement in Mumbai, India.
Brandon Patterson
Previous OGA Staff
Cristo Redentor, Rio de Janeiro
Brandon Patterson (MA/MSI '17) visits Cristo Redentor in Rio de Janeiro during his research on maker spaces and learning centers in and around Brazil. Brandon was previously an SSW staff member, advising School of Social Work students in developing projects of their own for Global Independent Study.
Tricia Schmidt
Global Independent Study
Machu Picchu
Tricia Schmidt (MSW '15) visits Macchu Picchu after a summer independent study teaching kindergartners in Cusco, Peru.
Nikki Azzaretti
Global Independent Study
Moshi, Tanzania
Nikki Azzaretti (MSW '16) goes on a safari after volunteering in a nursery school in Moshi, Tanzania.
Katie Lopez
OGA Staff
Seoul, South Korea
Katie Lopez (MSW '10) sits at the doorway of a traditional hanok in Seoul, South Korea. She was there attending the International Social Work Conference with ten students and five faculty representing the U-M's School of Social Work.
Alyssa Van Hofwegen
Global Activities Scholars Program
University of Haifa, Israel
Alyssa Van Hofwegen (MSW '16) visits the Sea of Galilee while doing a global field placement with the University of Haifa in Israel.