Social worker wins with heart
By Priscilla Castro
The Collegian
The dean of the College of Health and Human Services was not surprised that Silvia Barragan received the “Heart of Social Work” award.
Dean Benjamin Cueller said, “She gives her heart and soul to make sure students get the best possible education they can.”
Barragan was recognized nationally and by her peers on Feb. 18 at the Council on Social Work Education’s 2006 Annual Program Meeting.
Barragan, a licensed clinical social worker, is a field instructor and liaison for the Department of Social Work at Fresno State. Out of four categories, Barragan won for innovation.
Barragan was given the award for the Title IV-E child welfare program at Fresno State. The program has an emphasis on child welfare, abuse and protection. The award was specifically for the work she does in Kings and Tulare Counties. Barragan said she was nominated by some of her co-workers, Jane Yamaguchi and Mitzi Lowe. Barragan received her master’s degree in social work from San Diego State University.
The program Barragan works on is primarily designed for students who are working to receive their masters degrees and takes two to three years to complete. There is also a program for undergraduate students, which is open to high school seniors who want to specialize in child welfare. There are a total of 40 slots for each year.
Students enrolled in the program receive an annual stipend of $18,500. The stipend covers the costs of transportation, tuition and monthly seminars. This program is designed for current employees of child welfare services. “I call it a build your own program,” Barragan said.
Barragan said with this program they will hire students as interns and they may also choose to keep the students as employees.
Cuellar said it is a program that trains students for careers in child welfare for cases of abuse, neglect and adoptions.
“Each student will have an impact on thousands of individuals through their lives,” Cuellar said.
Cuellar said the award recognizes the important work Barragan has done. He said there are a lot of people who provide supervision through education, but she is one of the very few who was recognized for her work and her contribution.
Barragan said it was nice to receive this award. “It’s fun to be recognized for something I love to do,” she said. “It’s like a bonus, but it’s nice when you get it.”
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