Alumnus Allison Hajjar works as a Therapeutic Training and Support Mentor after graduation!

 

After graduating in 2013, I began working for The Key Program as a “Therapeutic Training and Support” and “Therapeutic Mentor”. The positions are part of the Massachusetts Children's Behavioral Health Initiative, which is an interagency initiative with the mission to “strengthen, expand and integrate Massachusetts state services into a comprehensive, community-based system of care, to ensure that families and their children with significant behavioral, emotional and mental health needs obtain the services necessary for success in home, school and community.” I generally work with youth (ages 5-21) and their caregivers to assist them in meeting their particular goals. Because every family has their own unique situation and goals, my work greatly varies from client to client. Typical parts of my job are, planning a community based activity for a client, assisting with an In-home Therapy session, assisting a family with coordinating with other service providers, and helping a client or parent navigate systems (school/IEP, DCF, DMH, etc.) My sociology degree provided me with a “big picture” view and very global perspective that has allowed me to be empathetic when working in direct care. Studying under the passionate professors in the UML Sociology Department also taught me to be investigative and innovative. These skills are vital to having an understanding of the population you are working with and being creative, but still effective in how you are improving the issues before you, no matter if they are on an individual level or systematic. My advice to current students: don’t be afraid to talk with professors and other community leaders. Networking helps you know what career options are out there and what employers are looking for.

Laura Carter starts career as a Behavior Therapist after graduating with a Sociology degree!

 

My name is Laura Carter. I graduated from the University of Massachusetts Lowell with a degree in Sociology in 2013. For the past two years, I have been working as a Behavior Therapist for Beacon ABA Services, Inc. I provide in-home early intervention services to young children who are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. I work extensively with these children and their families to help increase personal independence and adaptive skills within the home. During my time with this company, I have been promoted to a Lead Therapist. As a Lead Therapist, I am responsible for the development, implementation and daily oversight of programs for each of my clients.
My experience with the Umass Lowell Sociology Department was nothing short of amazing. The professors went above and beyond to help me succeed and were always there to offer me guidance when I needed it. My advisor helped me explore potential careers and gave me great advice on Graduate programs when I was considering applying. I appreciated the fact that I was able to form close relationships with my peers because of the close-knit sociology community. Also, I really valued the practicum experience I got through the sociology department. I was given the opportunity to work with a newly emerging non-profit organization that offers financial literacy services to low-income women. It opened my eyes to the non-profit world and inspired me to work in a direct service field. Overall, I am extremely satisfied with the experiences I had with the sociology program.

Alumnus Kayla Walkling's thoughts on her experiences in the Sociology and landing a career she loves!

 

When I first started at UMass Lowell I had a vague interest in social studies and human services, but no clue of what type of work or which populations I would prefer to serve. I first became more familiar with Sociology by taking a few classes with Professor Adrian Cruz, who was always enthusiastic and interested in helping me define my passion. Later, Professor Mignon Duffy and Professor Charlotte Ryan (my advisor) directed me towards practicum opportunities with local organizations. I first volunteered with Merrimack Valley Housing Partnership and then interned with Budget Buddies. These experiences allowed me to try different aspects of social services including direct work with people, data analysis, and more. In my last year I was a research assistant through the Emerging Scholars program (which Professor Duffy is great at promoting!). The experiences previously mentioned prepared me well enough for that position, and the program itself turned out to be the most valuable opportunity I had as an undergraduate. It combined so many facets of Sociology, including things I had learned in the two research methods classes, in a real-life application. My year-long project with the Emerging Scholars Program was a qualitative investigation of youth perspectives on violence and community in Lowell. I helped facilitate focus groups with youth, produce creative projects, do hands-on data collection (transcribing, coding, thematic analysis), and and participate in professional research conferences. Although much of the work overlapped with psychology, it was mainly a full immersion into what research and direct work with people entails. I learned how committed I was to working with youth, as well as to analyzing issues and possible solutions for community issues. Since I've graduated, I've been working as a Peer Mentor for a community service agency in southeast Massachusetts. My position is funded through a Department of Mental Health grant that aims to improve services for transition-aged youth across the state. My work is an awesome blend of direct work with clients, community outreach, data collection, and research. I help support young adults with mental health challenges with advice on how to navigate mental health services, find local resources, and generally transition into young adulthood. Additionally, I get to collect data for DMH, collaborate with other organizations, and participate in statewide committees advocating for youth voice. I love my job and am still surprised at how it incorporates so many things I learned in school. I hope to eventually earn a Master's degree as I advance in the agency and learn even more about what I am passionate about. Beyond all the research, studying Sociology allowed me to have cultural competency and understand how individuals impact and are impacted by their communities.

Alumnus Alex DeFronzo hires recent UML Sociology graduates at NFI!

Whats the best way to give back to the department that helped shape you for your career?

Money?

Not exactly.  Alex DeFronzo represents the ultimate form of a community builder. Along with having a direct care giving role in his career, he helps recent UML sociology graduates find jobs at his place of work, NFI Massachusetts, Inc. Not only does he want to help recent graduates find their calling in terms of a human services career, but he also needs our Sociology graduates. He knows the type of work ethic and critical thinking the department produces and he views that as a real asset to his company.

The type of work Alex does can be quite challenging, but extremely helpful to local communities. NFI is a nonprofit that works with youth and families in the North Shore and in the Merrimack Valley. Alex manages a program that assists families in staying together and keeping their children at home and safe. A lot of the staff, including Alex, work directly with children and their caretakers. However challenging the work can get, Alex and all of his staff find the work rewarding and worth it. Sociology helps shape workers for the challenges that arise on the job, "having the ability to peel back the layers of an issue to discover its core, the point it originates, makes UML Sociology graduates a very big asset to us" said Alex.

Alex's advice to current students: I would advise undergraduate students to get some real work experience before beginning graduate school - the field of human services is a great place to do that because you are exposed to almost all public and nonprofit systems that exist in the commonwealth from healthcare to the courts.  It is a good way to discover what your passion in the workforce is, and can be helpful in pursuing your educational goals later.


If any Sociology majors are graduating this spring and are looking for work in a human services field, NFI might be a great place for you. NFI is a big agency - over 600 employees in Massachusetts and they are always hiring; Alex is always looking for UML Sociology graduates to work in the programs that he is familiar with.  Information is available on nfima.org and he welcomes any Sociology students or alums to email him with questions or with a resume and he will do his best to find an appropriate program and position for them to apply to - alexdefronzo@nafi.com.