At a time when attention is being drawn to important national and global social movements, it is appropriate to look at what one program at GW is doing to prepare students to address the needs of a changing society.
The students of the Human Services Program in the Columbian School’s Sociology Department have proven their dedication to the human service field through their commitment to national and international issues and involvement in community and academic initiatives. Through the program, human services majors complete more than 300 hours of meaningful service in the D.C. community, culminating in extensive field research in their areas of interest.
Human services students accrue experience by leading discussions and presenting within their classes and at local and national human services conferences. Additionally, students have held leadership positions with GW focusing on community service, residential life, student activities, campus activism, college orientation, and in national service organizations such as AmeriCorps. In recent years, the number of students in the Human Services Program has nearly doubled, and the number of classes offered has increased in an attempt to keep up with the rising interest.
Human services students are consistently inspired and challenged by the faculty of the program. They stimulate students’ independent thinking on the issues studied and discussed in human services classes and invite them to question the way in which they view the world and the people around them. The program maintains high standards for students and provides them with the necessary support and guidance they need to achieve academically and professionally. After graduation, human services alumni continue the work they began as undergraduates by entering fields such as education, medicine, public policy, international development and social services.
For more information on the program, please e-mail [email protected] or check out the program’s Web site at http://gwu.edu/~hmsr.
-Liz Roberto
senior
-Jeff Marootian
junior
