| Intern uses personal experience to help others work through problems |
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| Written by Rachel Snyder, The Shorthorn staff | ||||
| Tuesday, 03 November 2009 11:49 PM | ||||
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Ann Dussing had a baby at 17 during her high school senior year. The social work graduate student is interning this semester at the university’s Community Service Clinic, which includes various services and helps young moms. Texas had 80,050 pregnant women between the age of 15-19 in 2004, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which tries to advance sexual and reproductive health worldwide. Between 1991 and 2004, Texas spent $15.1 billion on births from teenage mothers, according to The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. The U.S. had 821,810 pregnant women between ages 15 and 19. Clinic administrative assistant Kristine Witkowski said all interns bring something to their work. “All of their unique experiences in life help them be better therapists,” she said. Dussing said she hopes to encourage other girls who don’t have the help she did, like family support, to achieve their goals. Her single mother left the decision up to Dussing to keep the baby or give it up for adoption. “My mother was a huge support system for me,” Dussing said. “As a social worker, I’d like to be a mentor for others and show that they can still go to college and achieve what they want.” Dussing said she graduated with honors from high school, on time, with her classmates. She said her family’s expectations and her drive for learning pushed her to complete college. She said she didn’t finish her undergraduate program in four years, but took one or two classes when she could until her son got old enough to go to school, which enabled her to take more hours. Shalena Brock, fellow social work graduate student and intern at the clinic, said the interns see clients with issues like depression and teen pregnancy. “There are some clients that are harder to deal with than others,” Brock said. “It’s something you have to work at.” Dussing said she was a nursing major before choosing to go into social work. Her mom was a nurse, but she had always been interested in social work and giving advice. Her child is now in middle school. She said she lost touch with most of her high school friends because they were busy with school while she was working and taking care of a baby. She worked at a day care while she was pregnant and her son attended for free so she could go to school, she said. But Dussing said she had an advantage over other girls her age with children because she had more financial and family support. “It brought into light that they need help,” Dussing said. “And there need to be programs in place to help these people achieve their goals.” Views: 562 | E-mail
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 27 January 2010 03:32 PM ) | ||||
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