Student Spotlight: Understanding the Lived Experiences of Others
Get to know MSW student Osin G. (SSW ’25)
Osin G. details her interest in the life stories of her clients, her interest in in-home therapy work with families, and her own lived experiences as a first-generation student from an immigrant family household. She further explains her desire to explore social structures and welfare systems of other countries, ending stigma around therapy, and the importance of advocating for one’s clients.
Could you describe your background to me? What are your interests outside of work and school?
My name is Osin. I am a part-time Master of Social Work (MSW) student on the clinical track here at BUSSW. I am also a career counselor at the Center for Career Development. A big part of who I am comes from my first-generation student and immigrant family household status. I think that has shaped most of my lived experiences and is a big reason why I chose to pursue my Social Work Master’s. Outside of academics and work, I am also serving on the board for the Massachusetts Service Alliance, which has been a really informative experience as well. In my free time, I enjoy getting out of my comfort zone by traveling, trying new foods with friends, and working on self-care. I also enjoy spending time with my family.
Why social work and what inspired you? How did you first become interested in social work?
During my undergrad years, I went to College of The Holy Cross and studied psychology and education—my love for both subjects intertwined with social work. I did a lot of work with children and volunteered within the Worcester community, which helped me see that I wanted to focus on social work and working with children and families. It was a great way to mix psychology and education. My passion for social work stems from my past experiences as well. Being the eldest daughter of a first-generation immigrant family household can be challenging. There are a lot of different responsibilities to handle. I needed a social worker at some point, and I did not even know something like that existed. I think there is a lot of stigma-especially in my cultural-ethnic background (I am from Nepal) and community. I think many kids now with similar backgrounds [to mine] need a social worker and do not know what they are yet. It can be helpful to just have someone to talk to in need of support for a better quality of life or even just support in general navigating the different challenges life throws at us.
What do you like about working with children and families?
I appreciate the diversity of the children and families I get to work with, as well as meeting them where they are amidst different situations. I think that because of my personal background as well, things are very relatable; things that I have encountered or talked about with friends in the past. If not, it is always exciting to get to know a new family and learn about their lived experiences and then start to work with them towards facing whatever situation they are dealing with is a whole other experience.
What’s your favorite memory or experience in your academic career at BUSSW?
Last semester, we had social work with groups. We were asked to make support groups with each other and host support group-style conversations. At first, I thought, “Oh my goodness, another thing I have to prioritize time for!” But it ended up being really cool in that it helped me build connections with other social work students. Not just on the surface connections, like only talking about class-type connections, but connections that led us to hear each other’s stories and made us more aware of different societal factors that impacted our respective lives, and what kind of social workers we all want to be. It was cool to have that experience; get to know some of my classmates that way and be a support group for each other. As a part-time student, having that time allotted to connect with each other is needed. I am at work, in and out of classes, and I do not have much time to stay and make those connections. The fact that it was a requirement for class pushed me.
Why is social work worthwhile to you?
I am getting to know people and their stories, and hearing something I can relate to and have a perspective on. It is helpful to have someone to talk to, no matter your situation. I think a lot of the time, people need that extra guidance and support, and it is okay to need that. As a society, I believe that more of us need to recognize that it is okay to need it, especially in different cultures and religions with stigmas around social work. Everything about social work, from meeting the families, getting to know their stories and talking to my supervisor about how we can intervene and how best to support and help them, feels like I am doing something different every day. I am getting to know different people and learning from their experiences. Thinking about my own family dynamics and structures, I do not think that as therapists, we talk about how much we learn from our clients, but we also do. It is interesting; we also had this conversation in class the other day to recognize that we are learning different lessons through seeing others lived experiences.
What work are you proudest of during your academic career?
As a first-generation student, even being in a master’s program is huge. When I was younger, graduating from college and going to a master’s program was something I did not think I could do. It was always a dream, but it turned into a goal in my undergrad when I was thinking about what I wanted to do next and what I was passionate about. A big piece of advice I would give is never to stop reaching out for opportunities and always use your resources wisely. So many things are available to us that we do not know until we want it or write it down as a goal and go for it. It is truly such a special experience to be a first-generation graduate in an immigrant family household. Education was always emphasized as important in my family, as culture and tradition are. I learned a lot about overcoming challenges and breaking barriers along the way, but it was definitely worth it.
What were your favorite courses, professors and events at BUSSW?
Honestly, a lot of the professors I have had have been really great. Just thinking about Racial Justice with Professor Layla Khayr, she was a great first introduction to our course load here, and she really emphasized perspective in the way we look at things and the importance of concealed stories. I also really admire Professors Angela O’Neil, Jennifer Wiech, and Ashley Davis, as well as Sonia Mee, who’s been super helpful with navigating this process outside of the classroom. Many of the best professors are fearless in telling us their life stories and client experiences to help us learn better. In class, it does not feel like I am learning from a professor, per se. Instead, I am having a conversation with an experienced professional who is like-minded and passionate about the same subjects as I am and can give a lot of insight. I think there are a lot of professors here who impacted my journey, and that is a big reason why I stayed here, as well.
What are you looking forward to after you graduate? What fields are you interested in working in?
Right now, I am doing in-home therapy with an organization called Compass Boston. The families that we work with are recommended to us by the public-school systems and the Department of Children and Families (DCF). So, some families are in crisis-mode situations and are involved with DCF, and we work with them on a three-month basis. I enjoy doing that type of work. I get to work in people’s homes, know more of their stories, understand what is going on, and work together to empower them and figure out how best to intervene. Right now, I love doing the in-home therapy work, which I think I would like to continue exploring in the future, and I really love doing one-on-one clinical work with clients. Also, I am thinking about business as well. Business was a big passion of mine when I was younger. I would want to combine social work and business, maybe opening up a non-profit organization like a community center for immigrant children and families, just to have that place to have academic resources available to them, psychoeducation for parents, and eventually even clinicians that they can work with one-on-one. Honestly, that is a much bigger goal, requiring more licenses, time, and experience. Still, it is something that I am excited about and am already thinking about the details and planning for.
What is your dream job in the field of social work?
I am considering the idea of being a traveling social worker. I have heard a lot about it, but many programs are restricted to just the US, and I would also like to go internationally. That would be my dream job: traveling to different countries and seeing what systems there are, seeing what children and family systems are in place, and what societal factors impact their demographics, and shadowing clinicians or working with clients in different countries. First, I would like to explore Nepal, my home country. That is attainable. I’m planning to go out there this summer, so it would be cool to see what social work looks like in my own culture.
What is your advice for other MSW students?
Never stop reaching out for different opportunities. Specifically for clinicians who want to work with clients one-on-one; do not stop advocating for your clients. I have been put in many places where I had to advocate for my clients, where maybe I shouldn’t have to, because the system should be better. Never stop advocating for yourself, either. I think a big part of why I am here now is because I advocated for myself and continue taking advantage of different opportunities. Never stop doing any of those things. Also, know that even though there are challenges, a master’s program is very time-consuming and is not easy to navigate as a part-time student, but it is worth it to have all this knowledge and be able to go out and do what you are passionate about. It is helpful to have someone to talk to, no matter your situation. I think a lot of the time, people need that extra guidance and support, and it is okay to need that.