{"id":82300,"date":"2013-08-21T08:11:36","date_gmt":"2013-08-21T12:11:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=82300"},"modified":"2015-12-14T10:42:02","modified_gmt":"2015-12-14T15:42:02","slug":"social-work-graduate-overcomes-obstacles-to-find-success-in-d-c","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2013\/08\/social-work-graduate-overcomes-obstacles-to-find-success-in-d-c\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Work Graduate Overcomes Obstacles to Find Success in Washington, D.C."},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Khaliyl<\/a>
Khaliyl Lane ’10 (CLAS), ’13 MSW speaking at a Congressional Foster Youth Internship Briefing on Aug. 31, in Washington, D.C. The briefing was sponsored by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute. (Allison Cappa for UConn)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you asked Khaliyl Lane \u201910 (CLAS), \u201913 MSW, 10 years ago whether he could imagine himself working in the halls of power at the U.S. Capitol or sitting at a desk inside the United Nations, he would surely have laughed it off as an outrageous suggestion.<\/p>\n

Lane\u2019s early teen years were tough. At 14, his family crumbled, his mother and father gave up their parental rights, and Lane and his younger brother were placed in Connecticut state foster care. His future was at a crossroads. College and a professional career were just about the last thing on his mind. He needed a home.<\/p>\n

Thankfully for him, Barbara Knoegel Allison, <\/b>the mother of a close childhood friend, who was recently divorced and going through her own struggles, heard about Lane\u2019s plight and volunteered to take him in.<\/p>\n

In many ways, Allison saved Lane\u2019s life. Together, Lane, Allison, and her own two boys began a journey at that moment that transformed them all.<\/p>\n

In the nation’s capital<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"U.S.<\/a>
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) with Khaliyl Lane. (Photo from U.S. Senate Photographic Studio)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today, Lane, now 25, serves as a special assistant to U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal. A 2013 graduate of the UConn School of Social Work, Lane spent the past summer working as an intern in Blumenthal\u2019s office as part of a highly competitive program open to former foster care youth. In late July, he was hired full-time. Once an intern, Lane now oversees the office\u2019s internship program.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really enjoy being in D.C. and having an opportunity to be part of the legislative process,\u201d says Lane. \u201cI enjoy seeing first-hand how my research and hard work pays off.\u201d<\/p>\n

During his internship, Lane helped handle constituents\u2019 requests, assisting individuals with social security disability claims, and helping a Connecticut family get their electric bills lowered so they could keep their home. He also presented a formal policy report on foster care and child welfare issues for the senator.<\/p>\n

“From his first day here, Khaliyl was a hard-worker and demonstrated wisdom beyond his years,” says Blumenthal. “I’m proud to count Khaliyl as a member of my staff and I know he’ll serve the people of Connecticut and the nation well.”<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Lane says he appreciates the opportunity and is learning a lot.<\/p>\n

\u201cSen. Blumenthal and his staff really care about the people they represent,\u201d Lane says. \u201cWe try to give a voice to people whose voices need to be heard. We keep marginalized and under-represented individuals at the forefront in all of the decisions that we make.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lane credits his UConn experience with helping him prepare for his professional career. His School of Social Work field advisor, John Bonelli, was especially helpful, Lane says.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy whole experience at UConn \u2013 the sports, the academics, the conversations I had with my professors \u2013 really shaped me professionally and as a person,\u201d says Lane. \u201cThe staff and faculty in the School of Social Work especially, they encouraged me and were there for me at every turn.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bonelli remembers Lane well.<\/p>\n

“Khaliyl Lane is a very intelligent, committed and dynamic individual,” Bonelli says. “His open personality, confidence, and ability to relate with people from diverse backgrounds make him an excellent communicator, leader, and community organizer. His personal history, commitment to social work values, sense of humor, and disciplined advocacy will make him a very successful agent for social change.”<\/p>\n

But it was clearly Lane\u2019s foster mother, Barbara Knoegel Allison, who had the most dramatic impact on his life.<\/p>\n

Responsibility and structure<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Khaliyl<\/a>
Khaliyl Lane ’10 (CLAS), ’13 MSW at a Congressional Foster Youth Internship Briefing. (Allison Cappa for UConn)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At 14, coming into Allison\u2019s Marlborough, Conn. home was a culture shock to Lane, who wasn\u2019t used to the strict rules, new responsibilities, and daily structure. Allison wouldn\u2019t even let Lane in the door unless he first agreed that he was going to keep his grades up and go on to college. She was more than willing to help him, but her expectations were clear.<\/p>\n

\u201cBarbara is the main reason I\u2019m talking to you today,\u201d Lane says. \u201cShe\u2019s an amazing person. She encouraged me to play sports, to keep a high GPA, to treat people with respect. I was able to turn my life around at an early age. She kept me from heading down the wrong path. My younger brother wasn\u2019t so lucky. He had some issues that only got worse in foster care. He\u2019s been missing now for close to four years.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Allison\u2019s support, Lane graduated from RHAM High School with honors and enrolled at UConn, where the state Department of Children and Families paid for his tuition through its Independent Living Program. The program is open to Connecticut foster children who are full-time students pursuing a secondary education.<\/p>\n

In 2007, Lane played cornerback as a walk-on member of UConn\u2019s Big East Champion football team while majoring in communication sciences with a minor in sociology. He earned his bachelor\u2019s degree in 2010.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one is more proud of Khaliyl right now than I am,\u201d says Allison. \u201cHe proved himself in the worst of circumstances. He is an individual of strong character; a young man of perseverance, resilience, and consistency. The last thing Khaliyl ever wanted to do is disappoint me because he saw all that I was doing trying to help him. The day he called me to tell me he had been hired to work in Senator Blumenthal\u2019s office, I had tears in my eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

After he obtained his bachelor\u2019s degree, Lane spent about a year working in marketing for ESPN Radio before enrolling in the master\u2019s degree program at the UConn School of Social Work. While happy at ESPN Radio, Lane says he wanted a job where he could provide a tangible service and help people.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a unique skill set due to my experiences in life. I would be doing a disservice to myself and others if I didn\u2019t use that experience to help those in need,\u201d says Lane. \u201cNow is the time for me to use all these skills I\u2019ve learned and put them to good use.\u201d<\/p>\n

A global citizen<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lane, who traveled to Italy and Ireland as part of UConn\u2019s study abroad program in his senior year, considers himself a global citizen. During his first year in the School of Social Work, he secured an internship at the United Nations through the International Association of Social Workers. He eventually earned his master\u2019s in international social work, specializing in community organization and international policy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking at the UN gave me invaluable experience,\u201d says Lane, who worked with the UN\u2019s Economic and Social Council focusing on global issues confronted by nongovernmental organizations or NGOs. \u201cWhile I was there, I worked on issues involving human trafficking, ending child marriage, poverty eradication, things I feel really passionate about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking back, Lane says he is grateful to the individuals who have shaped his life, and he is looking forward to whatever the next chapter brings.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to create programs for at-risk youth that will help them go on to viable careers and expose them to different outcomes and different sides of life,\u201d says Lane. It is a future he has discovered and is eager to share.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s crazy how life works out sometimes. But I truly believe that as long as you work hard and stay positive, positive things will come your way.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Khaliyl Lane ’10 (CLAS), ’13 MSW, grew up in Connecticut’s foster care system and now works for U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":81676,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[147,1870,1],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[44],"class_list":["post-82300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-ssw","category-uncategorized"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-08 11:09:11","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\/82300","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=82300"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82300\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":107125,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82300\/revisions\/107125"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/81676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82300"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=82300"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=82300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}