Faridah Kisekka-Sessanga was inspired to go into social work thanks to a measure of help when she needed it the most. Pregnant with her first child, she sought care at Saint Francis Hospital but had no health insurance. A hospital social worker connected her to a financial counselor and other services. \u201cShe pointed me to so many resources,\u201d says Kisekka-Sessanga, who was surprised to learn that social workers had such significant roles and wore so many hats. \u201cShe really made an impact on me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The extent of that impact came to fruition last fall, when Kisekka-Sessanga, a Black Muslim immigrant from Uganda, was one of two students awarded the 2022 Janet M. Fierberg Scholarship by UConn to pursue a master\u2019s degree at the School of Social Work.<\/p>\n
Kisekka-Sessanga\u2019s desire to help people had first been instilled in her as a child raised by her grandmother. A Catholic, her grandmother rented homes to people from a village who often could not afford to pay rent and buy food. Even though some could not cover their rent for months, her grandmother never evicted them. \u201cThe way she raised me, if somebody needs help, you help them,\u201d Kisekka-Sessanga recalls.<\/p>\n
After arriving in the United States in 2005, Kisekka-Sessanga initially pursued nursing as a career, enrolling in a program at Capital Community College in Hartford. She was three weeks shy of completing her requirements when she had a crisis of conscience. \u201cI told my husband, you know what? I am forcing myself to do nursing,\u201d she says. \u201cThis is not me. I don’t think I’ll be happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nMy view of social work is you have to be kind, you have to be loving, you have to be encouraging and empowering to other people. — Faridah Kisekka-Sessanga<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Shifting gears, Kisekka-Sessanga enrolled in Tunxis Community College to take classes in preparation for getting a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU). During this circuitous route to social work, she encountered a professor who told students that 60% of them would fail her class. Instead of being discouraged, Kisekka-Sessanga felt even more determined about her career choice. \u201cMy view of social work is you have to be kind, you have to be loving, you have to be encouraging and empowering to other people,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Resisting Microaggressions and Marginalization<\/strong><\/p>\n
In addition to having some rigorously demanding professors as an undergraduate, Kisekka-Sessanga had to face the sometimes harsh reality of being an immigrant and a Muslim in the United States. It was jarring to her that all her professors and administrators in community college were white. She felt unwelcome by an advisor in her nursing program and invisible to some of her fellow students who harbored stereotypes about Africans. \u201cWhere I came from this is not something that I had experienced,\u201d she says. \u201cI realized racism was really a thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
While she covered her hair when she first arrived in the country in accordance with her religious beliefs, she soon started to remove her headscarf. \u201cBecause I felt like I was targeted or people treated me in a certain way, I stopped covering completely,\u201d she says. These days she has resumed covering her hair.<\/p>\n
Those experiences of being stigmatized further fueled her passion to go into social work. \u201c[For] those people who are marginalized like me, I feel I can be that voice and advocate for them and help them,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
An instructor noted her persistence in the face of adversity. “I have never met a student more courageous and resilient,\u201d says Yvonne Patterson, assistant professor at CCSU who taught Kisekka-Sessanga over the summer at UConn. \u201cFaridah’s passion and commitment to social justice represents a North Star for all entering in and within the profession of social work.\u201d<\/p>\n