AWC grad get head start on social work careers
Some Arizona Western College students are getting a head start on social service careers after receiving family development credentials from Cornell University.
Christina Hawkey, professor of family studies, who has run and taught the Family Development Credential Program since 2002, said the 17 graduates get a certificate from AWC after one year and also a credential from Cornell that is good for credit for an AWC associate's degree or for transfer to one of Arizona's three state universities.
To successfully complete the program graduates must pass an exam written by Cornell that is given at AWC, Hawkey noted. The program prepares students to work as paraprofessionals in social service agencies as case managers, she explained.
As career potential, she noted that a graduate would be prepared to work at Arizona Children's Services in adoption placement or maybe as a case manager for Head Start, where they would monitor Head Start families to be certain they are in compliance with the services they receive or determine if they need additional help, she added.
So far, AWC has had 42 students complete the FDC credential, with another 18 registered to start the program in the fall, Hawkey noted. Also, more than 20,000 had earned the credential nationwide offered by AWC and several other schools including Rutgers, Duke, Indiana University, the University of Alaska and Colorado State University.
The program helps students accelerate into the social work field much faster because otherwise they would require a master's degree to gain employment, she pointed out.
"Our graduates are more marketable in today's economy because of recent budget constraints. A lot of social service agencies are now finding it more economical to hire paraprofessionals rather than those with master's degrees."
Hawkey returns annually to Cornell for training as she herself must be in compliance with its standards.
2009 GRADUATES
Guadalupe Amaya
Darlene Beltran
Brenda Boman
Maria Bravo
Elizabeth Carrasco
Rosie Ceniceros
Elizabeth Cuevas
Stefani Herrera
Ablelina Jaime
Dora Lopez Sr.
Dora Lopez Jr.
Bertha Mosqueda
Kristina Ramirez
Blanca Saldivar
Patricia Smith
Meliza Villareal
Angelica Villasenor
