NASW Foundation Announces Consuelo W. Gosnell Memorial Scholarship Recipients

Washington —The National Association of Social Workers Foundation (NASWF) announces the 2005-2006 Consuelo W. Gosnell Memorial Scholarship recipients.

The scholarships are awarded for one academic year to students who have demonstrated a commitment to working with, or have a special affinity to American Indian, Alaskan native, or Hispanic and Latino populations. These candidates have also demonstrated a commitment to working with public or voluntary non-profit agencies or local grassroots organizations. They are all MSW candidates.

This year’s awardees include:  

• Delfin Bautista, University of Pennsylvania
  During a retreat to the Dominican Republic , Mr. Bautista recognized his calling to serve the underserved Hispanic population through social work. He devotes his time to the Victim Services Center , where he provides trauma therapy and education to victims of crimes from Latin America . He hopes his faith will guide his future practice, catering specifically to homosexuals in the Hispanic population.
• Josephine Halfhide, Boise State University
  After working closely with the Yupik Eskimo tribe in Alaska as a counselor and a social worker specializing in Indian child welfare, Ms. Halfhide decided that she needed to return to school for her Master of Social Work to further her education. Through her work on the Indian Child Welfare Act, she recognized the importance of social services issues with tribal families. Ms. Halfhide was a planning committee member for the Northwest Indian Youth Conference, where more than 1,000 Indian youth learned more about their heritage.
• Kim Leming, University of Alaska Anchorage
  A tribal member of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, Ms. Leming hopes to blend traditional tribal knowledge and wisdom with the Western knowledge in social work. She sees a growing need, specifically in Alaska , to serve the aging Elder population by providing lifespan planning, health care resources and end of life care. Ms. Leming volunteered with the Red Cross during the Alaska Big Lake fires, providing assistance to residents of the effected area.
• Gina McFarlin, University of Houston
  Gina McFarlin seeks to integrate personal experiences into her life’s work. Being of Guatemalan and American descent and raised in Hispanic South Texas, she provided mental health services and counseling to Hispanic women, children and families at Covenant Hours Texas. Since her 1994 stroke, she has turned her focus to helping traumatic brain injury patients and their families to realize that pride and normalcy is possible. She hopes to work in a rehabilitation setting providing hope to patients and families.
• Camie Jae Olsen, University of Washington
  Utilizing her American Indian background, Ms. Olsen has a keen insight into the needs of American Indian families. She feels a deep sense of responsibility to her culture and her people. Ms. Olsen will be dedicating her career to serving Native youth. Ms. Olsen has shown her dedication to serving native youth by establishing an annual Native Youth Conference. Among other high school students, Native youth have a higher suicide, school drop out and drug and alcohol abuse rate.

Brandi Sweet, Walla Walla College Having experienced the poverty and social ailments that surround American Indian people, Ms. Sweet recognizes the loss of Native culture, identity and lifestyle. Through her social work advocacy and practice, she hopes to provide sound clinical practice and advocate on behalf of American Indian. She has volunteered with American Indian people doing parent education to teen parents and parents who are at risk for abusing their children.

The Gosnell Scholarship was established through a bequest of Consuelo Gosnell, a social work practitioner who was born in Ciudad Juarez , Mexico and died in Texas in 1987. Gosnell was a champion of civil and human rights and worked diligently to ameliorate conditions for critically under served American Indians and Latinos in the Southwest. Gosnell practiced for many years in federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

For more information about the NASW Foundation or educational scholarships, please visit www.naswfoundation.org or e-mail at naswfoundation@naswdc.org.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), in Washington, DC, is the largest membership organization of professional social workers with 150,000 members. It promotes, develops, and protects the practice of social work and social workers. NASW also seeks to enhance the well being of individuals, families, and communities through its advocacy.