{"id":77634,"date":"2013-05-06T08:20:56","date_gmt":"2013-05-06T12:20:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=77634"},"modified":"2023-06-27T13:12:59","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T17:12:59","slug":"class-of-2013-brunilda-ferraj-future-social-worker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2013\/05\/class-of-2013-brunilda-ferraj-future-social-worker\/","title":{"rendered":"Class of 2013: Brunilda Ferraj, Future Social Worker"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article is part of a series featuring some of this year\u2019s outstanding graduating students, nominated by their academic school or college or another University program in which they participated. Check for additional profiles of students in the Class of 2013<\/a> on UConn Today from now through Commencement.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Brunilda<\/a>
Brunilda Ferraj ’13 MSW. (Colin Poitras\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When Brunilda Ferraj attended a recent public hearing on a bill that would allow immigrants to obtain a driver\u2019s license regardless of their legal status, she was stunned at the turnout. Hundreds of people filled the room, an overwhelming majority of them immigrants attending their first civic forum.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were all there speaking out, telling their personal stories, making the case for public safety, making the case for human rights. It was amazing,\u201d says Ferraj \u201913 MSW.<\/p>\n

Ferraj knows all too well the feelings of isolation and other challenges immigrants face. Her family emigrated from Albania to the U.S. as political refugees when she was a young girl. Growing up in rural eastern Connecticut, she says, there were few support services for immigrants who didn\u2019t speak English and even fewer local advocates to help families assimilate.<\/p>\n

Over time, Ferraj turned her struggles into strengths. The experiences of her childhood are now part of what has driven her pursuit of a master\u2019s degree in social work. She has specialized in policy practice with a focus on international issues, and her professional goal is to address structural and systemic inequities through advocacy, policy analysis, and program development.<\/p>\n

In her two years at the School of Social Work, Ferraj helped develop a long-term strategic plan for the school\u2019s nationally-renowned Center for International Social Work Studies. She was a member of the campus\u2019 UConn Reads sub-committee, and is the student representative for the school\u2019s educational policy committee. She also served as an intern with the Connecticut Commission on Health Equity.<\/p>\n

But it is her work with the Hartford Public Library Immigrant Civic Engagement Project that has her most excited at the moment. As a research assistant on the project\u2019s evaluation team, Ferraj is reviewing the program\u2019s strengths and challenges in order to develop a model that other communities can replicate. She especially enjoys organizing and supporting the project\u2019s \u201ccommunity dialogues\u201d involving diverse immigrant groups.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing part of a project that helps immigrants adjust to their new-found life is pretty inspiring,\u201d she says. \u201cThe community dialogues are particularly exciting because it is a moment when people come together, talk about issues, and develop action plans on how they themselves can address those issues. It\u2019s amazing to see that happen before your eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ferraj was drawn to UConn by the School of Social Work\u2019s reputation for international social work and global research. Once here, she found an academic community that quickly became extended family.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe school has been tremendously supportive,\u201d she says. \u201cAlthough some may see the West Hartford campus as a commuter school, it really is like family. It\u2019s amazing the network of support that exists here.\u201d<\/p>\n

With an undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Rhode Island, Ferraj has always had a keen interest in policy. She wants to use her social work training to bridge the gaps that can exist between research and policy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew what I was interested in studying when I arrived here, but UConn encouraged me to open up new doors for exploration,\u201d she says. \u201cI knew I wanted to work with this particular population, but I never considered the research side of things until I came here. Now I understand how research leads to informed policy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ferraj has been getting plenty of hands-on experience navigating the public policy labyrinth as a field worker for Connecticut State Rep. Toni Walker, D-New Haven, and House Chair of the legislature\u2019s powerful Appropriations Committee. Walker is a kindred spirit. She holds a master\u2019s degree in social work from Fordham University.<\/p>\n

\u201cToni Walker is amazing,\u201d Ferraj says. \u201cI\u2019ve learned so much being there with her. Because she is chair of Appropriations, she touches the lives of every single resident of Connecticut, not just those living in her district. So when she makes decisions, she says she makes decisions for Connecticut, not just her New Haven constituents.\u201d<\/p>\n

Walker says she is pleased with Ferraj\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrunilda has an incredibly kind spirit and despite her quiet voice, she has a lot to say,\u201d she says. \u201cShe understands the importance of policy and social workers’ involvement in the political process, especially at the decision-making level. Social workers are not prominent in the legislature and many people do not understand the need for us here, but Brunilda has been able to see firsthand why exactly I am here and why we [social workers] need to continue fighting for our place at the table.\u201d<\/p>\n

Working at the state Capitol has also taught Ferraj how to handle challenges and work with individuals who may not share her point of view.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople ask me all the time, \u2018Why do you want to be around people who don\u2019t value what you value?\u2019\u201d Ferraj says. \u201cBut I tell them I\u2019d much rather be at the table with those people and have a say and provide a voice for disadvantaged populations than not be at the table at all and let others make all the decisions. I\u2019d rather be there working slowly toward progress than be on the sidelines. It may be tough, but it\u2019s worth it. Educating people is half of what social workers do. It takes a lot of patience and understanding, but that is what advocates are for.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Her childhood experiences as an immigrant are part of what has driven Brunilda Ferraj \u201913 MSW to pursue a degree in social work.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":76260,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,2234],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[44],"class_list":["post-77634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","category-university-life"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-07-02 08:34:18","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77634"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77634\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":200720,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77634\/revisions\/200720"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/76260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77634"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=77634"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=77634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}