Lois Bosch, associate professor and director of Augsburg’s master of social work program, said the idea for the conference evolved out of the work of the social work international curriculum committee. “The conference is a way to engage with our international partners from Slovenia and Norway.” Bosch said the committee was surprised at the level of interest both from the international partners and from other social workers around the globe.

The Augsburg Department of Social Work has worked with programs in Slovenia and Norway for several years. Since 1994, Augsburg has had an international partnership with the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia to develop faculty and student exchanges. In addition, the College’s international partners program, in operation for 15 years, allows Norwegian students to receive part of their education at Augsburg and Augsburg students to earn academic credit at partner schools abroad.

The conference will host nearly 100 participants including more than 45 presenters who will deliver plenary and breakout sessions on the social work profession, curriculum development, community development, clinical and macro practices, and research. Rosemary Link, former professor of social work at Augsburg College will give the opening keynote address.

The and additional information about the conference is available on the Social Work Department website.

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Below three students reflect on what they experienced and learned at the conference.

Mohamed Sheikh-Mohamed [middle left]

Firstly, I would say if anybody had an opportunity to go to a place where there will be recruiters in their professions, they should go. From this trip, I connected with many companies, and one thing that shocked me was that the CIA was recruiting at the career fair. I always thought that they hire by invitation only, but it changed what I believed about it.

I learned that with age comes wisdom, so I asked every professional individual that I had a conversation with, “What advice do you have for young guys like us?” The majority of their answers were to look for internships and co-ops because if companies like you while you with them, they will try to hire you as soon as you graduate. They also said that most companies look for diversity and something new that they do not have in the company, so if you have something new to contribute to a company, give it a try and apply for that company. They are also looking [at students who have been in] leadership roles.

This trip really helped me, knowing that there is a high demand of engineers in the upcoming years and almost every major company and corporation needs an engineer of some sort on their team.

Gottlieb Uahengo [far right]

The 38th Annual National Society of Black Engineers was an exciting conference to attend, because it provided the opportunity to observe and participate in critical scientific discussions. There was a multitude of organizations ranging from graduate school programs, multinational companies and various government agencies. The setting was most welcoming and encouraged young African-Americans to participate in the sciences so to better understand the importance of engineering as a multilateral discipline. The atmosphere was further re-enforced by the large number of multinational companies, showcasing their products, technology, and the innovative solutions they have developed to solve pending problems.

I was particularly intrigued by my ability to draw several parallels between my Augsburg education and some of the physics behind the technology of companies such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin as well as Minnesota native 3M. This realization brought a sense of deep pleasure, as I was able to see real world applications of the many concepts I have studied in my classes.

I also attended some workshops during the conference. A workshop hosted by Space (titled “Restoring American Human Spaceflight”) in which the audience participated in an interactive discussion on the importance of space exploration and its implication to the survival of the human race. I gained a great wealth of knowledge from this workshop as one could sense the depth of knowledge present throughout the room, simply from the ideas and questions that arose during the workshop. We discussed the implications of space exploration and its wear on the astronauts’ health and how these issues could be resolved by the fast growing biomedical engineering field. Such a possibility would allow ease in not only monitoring astronaut health but also pave a way for remote health operations and effectively allowing any trained individual to perform medical procedures in space. The thought of human life outside earth has intrigued scientists the world over, yet as we begin to wrap our collective knowledge around the laws of the universe, we realize more and more that there are still many unexplained anomalies; one should be humbled by the youthful nature of our technology and what more we have yet to discover as well as its impact to life as we know it.

Aside from being mentally stimulating, the conference also provided the opportunity for students to bounce ideas off each other. I had several talks with experts and fellow students, who shared brilliant ideas and journal articles. This kind of environment is surely priceless and one that will drive innovative solution for the future. This invaluable experience would not have been possible without the hardworking and dedication of LSAMP’s “Godmother” (Prof. Rebekah Dupont) who has continually challenged us to excel and apply ourselves.

Amir Rose [middle right]

For myself, going to college has never been anything less than mandatory. I’ve always aspired to further my education in the field of science, physics, and engineering. Attending the NSBE conference this spring helped me grasp a better understanding of what life is like after college for an engineer. The vast amount of fields available in this profession span across a large spectrum of interests from automotive, aeronautics, medical, and many more.

Attending the career fair was a great experience because it gave me the opportunity to speak with people who have been in engineering for many years and to obtain some good advice on how to approach future jobs and internships.  I had the chance to speak with a man who worked for Honda for over 15 years and had gained a great deal of experience in various subsets within the company. Engineering does not only encompass one position, as he explained, [when] entering the company people have a choice whether to do design or manufacturing on vehicles. I thought this was very interesting, and it gave me a new perspective on all of the possibilities available to me after I graduate.

Overall attending the NSBE conference was a great experience, and I hope to attend again next year. It gave me a greater understanding of what I can do with my major and made me eager for all the future possibilities that await.

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In May, Augsburg was host to the Latino Youth Peace and Leadership Conference which was co-sponsored by the Augsburg College Hispanic/Latino Student Services office. The one-day conference, organized by La Oportunidad, was planned by and for Latino youth and included workshops, presentations, and activities to promote youth development, leadership, and positive cultural identity. In this forum, Latino youth learned from others and shared their perspectives and experiences regarding the peaceful development of their lives and community. 

This year’s conference, entitled “Moving with the ‘Sole’, Bailando con el Corazón,” provided more than 200 participants with the opportunity to experience the transformative power and cultural significance of dance and movement.  Attendees learned about the cultural and historical roots of dances such as Aztec/Mexica dance, breakdance, and folkloric dances and examined dance as a cultural health practice which promotes mental, emotional, and physical heath.

Pictured here is Eloisa Echavez ’94, ’98 MAE, executive director of La Oportunidad, with members of the KetzalCoatlicue dancers (meaning Precious Mother Earth). They are a Kalpulli (learning community) of Indigenous people joined by the desire to learn, share, and live the tradition of Mexican Aztec dance.

La Oportunidad, Inc.

La Oportunidad is a 501c3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to champion the development of Latino individuals and families to create a strong, peaceful community. Over the last 20 years, La Oportunidad has become an internationally recognized and leading provider of bilingual and bicultural family-centered educational and supportive programs to help Latino children, youth, adults, and families in the Twin Cities metro to achieve greater capacity, develop practical skills, nurture healthy relationships, and build a stronger community.

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