My name is Grace Hamel and I am a first-year MSW student. My specialization will most likely be Advanced Clinical Practice, but I am also interested in Advanced Generalist Practice and Programming. My field of practice will be in health, mental health, and disabilities. As a social worker, I want to work with neurodivergent BIPOC children/adolescents and their families and ensure that high-quality resources and services are accessible to them. Before beginning at Columbia I worked in multiple roles related to the field of social work. I have been employed as an associate behavioral therapist (Beacon ABA), a social skills group intern (Autism Project RI), a career peer advisor (Wheaton College MA), and a lifeguard (YMCA and Autism Project of RI). I have also held leadership roles within social justice organizations at Wheaton College MA. These include treasurer and vice president of the Black Student Association and President of Renaissance House (a campus house and organization dedicated to BIPOC women and femmes). Currently my field placement is at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in MOSAIC; a mentorship program for BIPOC and first-generation graduate and doctoral public health students.
