Feature

A Different Perspective

Cuba Trip Deepens Meaning of Social Work for Students

Abby Carpenter of Lake Zurich, Ill., was a sophomore at Butler University in Indianapolis, Ind., when a three-month study abroad program in South America piqued her interest in social work.

“While there, I learned a lot about economic and social inequality and became passionate about diminishing inequality in the United States and around the world,” she says.

Now a student in the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work, Carpenter recently went on a 10-day spring break trip to Cuba with nine other graduate students as part of the Cuban Social Policy Issues class, which solidified her commitment to the field.

“It made me realize that there are many different ways to approach social work and that we have so much to learn from Cuba’s social policy,” says Carpenter, who is working toward her Master of Social Work degree. “I really enjoyed learning from all of the Cuban professors about their take on U.S.-Cuba relations. It made me realize that our government has created a lot of heartache for the Cuban people and that the U.S. has a lot of work to do as a nation.”

Carpenter’s classmates say that the course, supported by Pitt’s Center on Race and Social Problems, which is based in the School of Social Work, reaffirmed their commitment to the field as well.

“The trip highlighted the importance of the special job social workers do as it relates to meeting people where they are and how the people and their environment impact each other,” says Devino Sinclair of Ocho Rios, Jamaica. “It reminded me of the reason I chose social work: to continue helping others to help themselves.”

It was a similar case for Courtney Gardner, who spoke of the role of social work in understanding the community and environmental influences on individuals in need rather than blaming them for the challenges they face.

“I have always been very dedicated to community connections and free access to social services,” says Gardner, of Concord, Calif. “The trip validated my beliefs and instilled hope that something like this is possible.”

Cubans place “a high priority on community and family connections, support, and minimizing stigma for utilizing social services,” she says.

“I was happy to see that so many people had access to three meals a day, dental and medical care, and free education from kindergarten to a PhD. These policies would be phenomenal in the U.S., as there is such a disparity in access to one’s human rights in this country.”

Kendra Browning of Harrisburg, Pa., was delighted to find social programs that could be adapted to serve populations in the United States. She also found affirmation of her decision to become a social worker.

“I was always interested in social work as a child; I just didn’t know it was called that,” she says. “I just knew that I wanted to help people in some way for a living. It wasn’t until I took my first social work class at my undergraduate college that I fell in love with social work.”

The trip held special meaning for Browning, who has family ties in Cuba that were lost when her great-grandmother emigrated from Cuba to the United States in search of a better life for herself and her children.

“In the midst of their journey, the original last name was changed when my great- grandmother married a man she met on the boat,” says Browning. “All of the [family] members that knew the original name have since passed on, so we have no idea what our last name was.”

Though she returned to Pittsburgh not knowing if she may have crossed the paths of long-lost relatives, Browning says that the trip was valuable in other ways.

“It made me take a step back and look at how we do things in the U.S.,” she says. “It made me realize that there are some areas that we could improve upon if we are willing to listen to each other and work together to improve the community. I think that taking the trip to Cuba really solidified that being a social worker is what I am meant to do.”

Students were required to write a final paper after returning from Cuba. Browning focused on race and culture, and Gardner explored gender and sexuality equality in the Cuban workplace. Carpenter chose to examine how the Cuban government—a one-party Socialist state with Communist leanings—works to reduce food insecurity among citizens. Cuba imports much of its food, and sometimes shortages leave citizens holding monthly ration vouchers that can’t be redeemed.

Most of this year’s students say that the course changed their perceptions of Cuba.

“I had a few ‘wow’ moments,” says Ariel Goehring of Clovis, Calif. “Some were at a time when we were not even discussing social work. Just taking in Cuba and realizing how positive my interactions were with people and what a beautiful and welcoming place it was. I didn’t know any of this as an American. We don’t talk about it. Reflecting on that and my pre- conceived notions, it really hit me how little we know and how much there is to learn.”

As intended, the course broadened and deepened the meaning of social work among the students.

“I think there is still so much work to be done as social workers,” says Chih-Ying Liu of Taiwan, whose undergraduate degree is in sociology. “The problems are not easy to solve, but there are other ways that we can explore. From the Cuban experience, we can see how people work at the community level devotedly and continuously and that economic development is not the only way to enhance human well-being.”