Sarah Russo: On Social Work and City Living

Hello friends! My name is Sarah Russo and I am a senior at Hope College in Holland, MI. I am very excited to be spending the next few months in Chicago, IL. I’m so thrilled to report to you all things comin' down here in the windy city. Get excited for updates on my internship, trips, and fun nights out in this superb metropolis! There is so much vivacity all around, and I cannot wait to share it with you all!

Our first week here we had a rock’n orientation at the Allegro Hotel in the heart of downtown. Being in the midst of all hustle when you walked outside was the BEST! There are so many great restaurants, coffee shops, shopping, and of course people watching! Since I am a social work student, and I already had my internship previous to arriving in Chicago I was able to spend a lot of time exploring. One of the Arts in the City professors even gave me a sweet hook-up to this small venue that plays local music.

Some girls I met the same day and I went and enjoyed an eclectic new style of music we had never heard before. It was great to experience some of the richness of local Chicago culture in addition to all the commercial aspects. It was a charming way to start off the first week of the semester!

Chicago is made up of 77 different neighborhoods, and the population I serve in my internship is the 3^rd poorest of them. My Social Work internship is at the Lawndale Christian Health Center in the North Lawndale neighborhood in Chicago.

                                                     

I work in the Maternal and Child Health Department of this free clinic. I spend most of my time enrolling low-income mothers into our family case management services. Case management provides these mothers (ages 14 and up) support during their pregnancies in any way they can. We offer them referrals to other services they may need besides health care, like: transportation, housing, job referrals, day-care options, and education opportunities like obtaining their GED. I also work in the Lead Department. In Chicago, there are so many buildings over 100 years old that were coated with lead-based paint that are still around today. Even though there is not any trace of lead in the paint we use now, there are still young children living in homes where it is everywhere. Children ingest this lead and are poisoned from it. It is one of my jobs to provide lead education to the parents/guardians of these children, for lead poisoning can cause serious cognitive development. I also do a lot of administrative work, such as: updating referral resources and completing customer satisfaction surveys. 

I really enjoy my internship. My supervisor has been very intentional to make sure I have a very well rounded experience. I am so grateful for her. She keeps me very busy, and there is not a moment that I feel “bored.” I also decided to opt-out of Chicago Semester housing, so I could be closer to my internship (across the street from it actually). Living in the neighborhood I am serving has been extremely helping in getting to know the people here. However, I am not sure I would choose it again since I am not living with other CS students. I would try to stay with the CS housing if you decide to come.

Overall, my experience so far has been grand! I have been able to attend many local music shows, art exhibitions, and last week we saw the Broadway version of Les Miserables! These opportunities were amazing and so affordable. In addition, I have been able to do some great taste testing of all Chicago’s finest vegan/vegetarian cuisine. I am a vegan, so it was always hard to find things in Holland. Chicago has everything your heart may desire and more. I will keep you posted with at least one really great restaurant with every post. Make sure to check these places out next time you are in Chicago. I will also provide links for your convenience.

I’m off to class, but I will post soon about the field trip we are taking to the Jane Addams Hull House on Sunday and a really great spot called the Bleeding Heart Punk Rock Pastries.

 Ciao!