We interviewed GSSWSR alumnae Romana Lee-Akiyama, M.S.S./MLSP '09, 他目前是费城市长公共参与办公室的执行主任. 她最近被邀请担任gsssr顾问委员会的成员.
What is your current job and what do you do on a day-to-day basis?
我是肯尼政府下费城公众参与市长办公室的执行主任. I was appointed by Mayor James F. 2021年11月，我们现在是肯尼政府的最后一年. 我在疫情期间来到办公室，这座城市经历了这么多. 市长经常说:“我认为没有任何一届政府能忍受我们必须忍受的一切。”.
I have a team of about 30 people, 我们的办公室是黑人男性市长办公室的共同所在地, Engagement for Women, Youth Engagement, Faith-Based and Interfaith Affairs, and Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service. 我们想说，我们是肯尼政府和社会之间的桥梁, 特别是在系统上被排斥的群体，他们并不总是在谈判桌上占有一席之地. 我和我的团队正在研究被系统排斥的社区如何应对城市的现状，并寻找机会增加社区参与政策制定的机会, along with advising different members of the administration.
I also do a lot of consulting internally with departments, such as the Health Department, 我们的总经理办公室负责我们的刑事司法工作和最近的阿片类药物危机应对. 人们会要求我指导他们如何最好地接触到我们难以接触到的人群. 我们正在与社区合作，并试图向他们表明，政府中有真正的领导人，他们关心正义，并努力使政府变得更好, more transparent, and inclusive, and our responses and systems less oppressive, which is very challenging considering our country’s history.
How did the GSSWSR prepare you for success in your current career?
我有意识地努力从事社会工作，因为社会工作关注的是人, and to do anything in this world, you have to understand people. The adage that “money makes the world go ‘round” is false, rather relationships make the world go ‘round. 社会工作给了我理解个人的基石和框架, families, communities, organizations, and larger systems such as our legal system, has been so important.
What are the benefits of a trauma-informed approach to social work?
我认为这个领域已经意识到理解创伤的重要性，这真是太棒了. 我记得2012年我在联合劝募会(United Way)工作时，第一次听到把创伤作为看待社会挑战的一个视角. My team brings that trauma-informed lens to our work, and it guides my framework for the structure of our office. 这实际上是我们在过去几年里开始理解我们集体的悲伤和创伤的支柱之一, 因为我真的觉得这就是我们现在共同经历的.
Can you highlight specific skills that the GSSWSR helped you develop? 安置机会是你未来职业前景不可或缺的一部分?
For me, I really made my own path while I was at the GSSWSR. 我找到了自己的工作岗位，因为我在费城的一个为唐人街社区服务的组织工作, 我非常致力于在那个社区工作，不想离开. 我想把我从社会工作项目中学到的技能带到费城的亚太裔社区，因为这正是我们需要的. 在把社会工作的框架带给亚裔美国人方面存在着巨大的差距, 夏威夷原住民和太平洋岛民社区，我们从事这个职业的人太少了, so it was very important to me to continue working with that community. 学校真的和我一起努力，让我留在那个社区，并给了我所需的支持，让我能够成功地做到这一点.
我认为是MLSP对我产生了真正的影响，尤其是雷蒙德·阿尔伯特教授对我的指导，他已经去世了. Having him as my advisor as well as Kevin Robinson, and their mentorship and friendship while I was at Bryn Mawr, truly made a difference for me. 这两位教授对种族正义的视角非常重要. This is why representation and diverse faculty is so important, because you can’t teach lived experiences. Lived experiences are just what they are, and I think they bring a lens to the table that needs to be heard.
Based on your own experience and the people you’ve met, 你认为有哪一种学生能在我们的M课程中表现出色.S.S. program?
我会告诉你我为什么选择这所学校，因为我认为这与你的问题有关. 我进入了两所学校，并借此机会参观了这两所学校, and what I saw when I visited Bryn Mawr were very dedicated, serious, 真正关心社区问题的忠诚学生促使他们申请这个项目. They had true dedication and were not there just to have fun, though of course it is important to have a balanced life. The true commitment to the work and the profession, 以及我在学校的教师和学生中发现的专业水平, was very inspirational. 如果你真的想在你的社区和世界上有所作为, 你是一个认真的学生，想和其他人在一起，他们会提升你，帮助你调整你的思维过程, then Bryn Mawr is the place to go.
Did your perspective change about social work based on the program?
I think because I was already working in the field, 我参加的课程帮助我将我在社区中学到的一些实践正式化, 它给了我一个名字和一个头衔，我可以把这些理论与这个职业的历史联系起来.
Can you tell us about your current relationship with the GSSWSR community?
Recently, 我被邀请回来担任gsssr的顾问委员会成员, 这是一个很好的机会，让我作为一个校友和一个每天与边缘社区一起工作的人的观点，带来了特殊的创伤镜头. I love the fact that Dean Shapiro specializes in trauma, 我希望在未来我能在这方面做更多有意识的工作. I’m very interested in exploring how trauma impacts government, particularly frontline workers in government, 以及无法处理创伤如何使我们效率降低，更加官僚主义. I have all kinds of theories on this, 再次感谢夏皮罗院长领导着这所学校，他在创伤方面有着深厚的专业知识, which is something I’d like to collaborate on in the future.