Social Justice in the Real World: Alumni Panel and Mixer

Join us a for a panel discussion and mixer with CASC Minor alumni. Panelists will share their stories and journey engaging in social justice and change work. Learn more about their academic career as undergraduate students, experience in the minor, and the challenges, and lessons learned about applications of social justice "in the real world".

Email cascminor@umich.edu to register to attend.

Interested in learning about social justice in the "real world" from CASC alumni?

PodCASC

Moderator

Elizabeth González (she/her)

Elizabeth González MSW, LMSW, CYT is a bilingual (Spanish-English) licensed Clinical Social Worker.For the last 17 years, she has been dedicated to working in the fields of social work and education. She has worked at the intersection of these two fields in community mental health, nonprofits and university settings. In 2017, she founded a group private practice called Amplify Colectivo, which is a collective of therapists of color that provides culturally sensitive mental health services, supervision of early career social workers, and consults with state and local organizations to amplify mental health knowledge. González also serves as the Education & Training Program Manager at U-M’s Spectrum Center where she facilitates LGBTQ+ allyhood development trainings and consults with campus partners about inclusive practices.González has specialized training in eating concerns, gender identity and trauma. She works with clients through a holistic health lens that emphasizes the inseparable connection between our health, mental health and the environment. Her approach to therapy is client-centered and rooted in cultural humility and multicultural counseling.

Alumni Panelists

Ashley Elliston-Cowher (she/her)

I graduated from undergrad at UM with majors in Psychology and Spanish and minors in CASC and IGR. After graduating, I attended the University of Michigan School of Social Work and graduated with my MSW in 2018. During the MSW program, I had a focus of Aging Adults in Society and Management of Human Services which landed me in a field placement at the Alzheimer's Association. After graduating, I was hired as a social worker/ program coordinator at the Alzheimer's Association where I worked for more than a year before transition into a Research Administration role back at University of Michigan with LSA. My long-term goals involve non-profit management and work with foundations and grants, so my current position is helping me build the skills I need to better understand concepts in finance and grant funding. My recent volunteer experiences include being a delivery driver with Meals on Wheels, build days with Habitat for Humanity, and most recently phone backing with MI Dems.

Victoria (Vi) Thach (she/her)

Victoria (Vi) Thach is currently serving her second year at J.W. Sexton High School as the college adviser. As an alumna of J.W. Sexton and inspired by her own college adviser at Sexton, she is excited to give back to her community by serving-low income, first-generation, and underrepresented students through Michigan College Advising Corps at UM: Center for Educational Outreach. As a Vietnamese American and proud first-generation student herself, the issue of equity within education was something that stayed with her as she made her way through the public education system. Victoria holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and two minors: Community, Action, and Social Change and Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies

Brittney Williams (she/her)

Brittney Williams is a 2017 MSW graduate of the University of Michigan School of Social Work, where she studied Interpersonal Practice with a focus on Aging in Families and Society. During her studies, she was a member of the Geriatric Scholarship Program cohort, and received the Vivian A. and James L. Curtis Endowed Scholarship for Geriatric Social Work. She is currently a Medical Case Manager at Health Emergency Lifeline Programs (HELP), a social service agency which serves people living with HIV. In her work at HELP, Brittney has been a strong advocate for the unique needs of people aging with HIV, and has utilized her tailored skill set to assist colleagues outside of case management who are also serving older adult clients. Her hope is that with continued advocacy and a substantial amount of hard work, the voices of older adults will be elevated, and their needs will no longer be treated as burdensome, or an afterthought.

Leontine Wallace (she/her)

I am a Registered Nurse. I started my education at Mott Community College and transferred in to the University of Michigan School of Nursing as a Sophomore. I received my BSN and CASC minor in 2015. I had wonderful experiences providing service during my education in Southfield and Hamtramck, Michigan and Quito, Ecuador. These experiences strengthened my passion for home/community based health initiatives. After graduating I worked as a New Graduate Float Nurse at the Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids. Before becoming a nurse I was a Doula and attended to a woman in labor for the first time when I was 18. For the past 12 years I have attended to women in hospitals around the lower peninsula as a Doula. In 2017 I worked as the Lactation Counselor/RN for Pediatric Care Corner in West Bloomfield. Recently, I opened my own business, Mother Strong Maternal Infant Health Program, LLC. Mother Strong MIHP is a home visiting program for pregnant women and infants eligible for Medicaid in Genesee and Shiawassee counties that provides parenting education, birth education, breastfeeding support, free transportation to and from medical/WIC appointments, mental health support, and connections to community resources.