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Sean Wahl
- Major
- Psychology
My [service-learning] experience was a wonderful opportunity that fostered my career development and personal exploration. Prior to meeting with Chris Skrable and taking the UNIV 290 course, I had minimal involvement with my local community, and more importantly, I really felt out of touch with my surroundings. The course did an excellent job of integrating issues of privilege with development of a social paradigm. As I continued along with my education, I sought further guidance from Chris in helping me build upon the tenants discussed in our course. After my graduation, I had spent a little over a year in the mental health sector, working as a case manager for the severely mentally ill in a nearby rehab facility. With Chris' help, I decided to pursue a graduate degree in social work at the University of Michigan. Although my work experience was in the more interpersonal aspects of social work, Chris prompted me to explore community organization as a topic of study, and through discourse and research, I also decided this was the best path for me. Upon returning to the University of Michigan, I became involved in community organizing for social and political change in northwest Detroit, where I currently intern at the Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation. Through these experiences I also decided to further my studies in the policy sector, and was admitted to the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy for a dual masters degree in Social Work and Public Policy. I continue to work part time in northwest Detroit and am studying social and economic policy, with additional interests in municipal government and economic development.
I look forward to completing my degrees here at the University of Michigan and moving into the social policy sector. I have yet to determine exactly what realm in which to work, but my interests remain in social and economic disparities and local community leadership. These arenas offer a wide variety of possibly careers and I look forward to exploring them further.
