Introduction

We asked several outstanding Hispanic social workers to tell us why they chose social work as their profession and what they see as challenges to serving the Hispanic community today.

Ms. Morales-Kuchler

Q.  Why did you become a social worker?

When I completed high school, I was convinced that I was to follow on my parents' steps and become an accountant or become employed in the world of finances. I enrolled in college signing up for some financial classes while securing an entry-level job in a prestigious bank in the Panamanian Financial Center. After eight years of working in the bank, I came to realize that working in the Collections Department was actually more of advocating for clients that were in the verge of having their assets repossessed than about looking after the bank's best interests.

I found that I spent several hours meeting with the Department Manager proposing repayment plans that could have been more flexible for the client. My boss just could not understand why we were having those long conversations and how I always managed to convince him that a small payment from the client was better (cost effective) than repossession. I guess I did not know then, but I may have already been a social worker at heart, I just simply did not know it.

At the time in the mid-1980's, social work as a profession was not formally organized in the Republic of Panama so I never considered it a career option. This time brought many transitions into my life. I found my soul mate, an Airman from the United States military, started a family, became a naturalized US citizen, and a few years later became eligible to work for the US Federal Government. Little did I know that a couple years later, I would be introduced to the world of social work.

I got a job with the Department of the Defense as a Secretary to the Social Work Department at Gorgas Army Community Hospital in Panama. And it is there, where I had the epiphany of my life; I was introduced to the social work profession. This revelation unfolded through a great woman and superb social worker, Ms. Rebeca Mata-Castorena, LCSW, MSW. She not only inspired me to be a social worker by how she modeled, practiced, and educated those around her, but also by her love for the profession, the community she served, and her integrity always committed to the NASW ethical standards and principles. I will always thank her for showing me, through her work and dedication, what a great career choice social work is!

It has been 17 years since that pivotal moment in my life. I have never regretted for a moment the decision I made that day to go back to school and become a social worker. Through the years, I have been honored to have served hundreds of people both in a civilian and military communities by coordinating and implementing family support programs and by helping service members and their families access the resources they need. I have also contributed to delivering mental health and transition services to inmates seeking a second chance; by providing education and prevention on alcohol and drugs as well as treatment and counseling.

I have also had the privilege of serving as a mentoring program coordinator, helping primarily Hispanic students in Washington State who were seeking higher educational goals as first generation college students and also by volunteering with my community as a victim advocate helping survivors of sexual assault. Lastly, I am a wife, mother; daughter and big sister. I am very proud of my journey in the social work profession thus far. I look forward to continue working as an agent of change.

Q. What is your area of expertise?

My current area of expertise is in mental health and substance abuse prevention and counseling. My prior experience is program management as a Transition Assistance Program manager helping service members and their families successfully transition from the military and back into the civilian world by ensuring that they have the information, resources, and tools necessary to prosper and secure a second career after the military through relocation, financial management, transition, and employment assistance.

In my current job in the field of mental health and substance abuse, I have had the opportunity as a front-line provider to serve and assist our military service members and their families by ensuring that they are carefully screened and have treatment recommendations provided so they could continue to be mission ready at work as well as at home. This is a very unique population to work with because of the high demands and stressors derived from their military jobs, the high operations tempo, and the aftermath of serving in combat. Through their service they have given the ultimate commitment to serve their country with honor, integrity, and sense of duty. Being there for them and meeting them where they are is a privilege and a great honor.

Q.  What are the challenges that the Hispanic community faces?

One of the biggest challenges the Hispanic/Latino community in the United States faces is that it continues to increase at a faster pace than the resources that are made available to them. Another challenge that deserves a special focus is helping Hispanic/Latino students graduate high school and help them pursue higher education. Having successful members of the Hispanic community reach out through College and University recruitment programs is a good place to start helping to model and introduce to the younger generations the importance of higher education. More over, it is to inspire them to reach for the stars by convincing them that educational success is possible because one have been there, too.

Another major issue is the continued controversy of ensuring that hard working Hispanics/Latinos living, working and paying taxes in the United States are allowed without fear of persecution to stay in the United States and continue to contribute to prosper the economy of our nation with their hard labor. Most farmers and small business owners are not able to afford paying higher salaries and keep the same prices for their products. This is a major concern because it does not only disrupt the migrant worker's life, but the whole family, as well as our economy. Hispanic families are often separated, children and women are left to stay behind while their husbands are deported when many of these hard working men could have been provided a worker's permit that would allow them to work and live in the United States, even if it is just seasonally.

I think the social work profession will be challenged to step up and organize communities to ensure that culturally competent resources and interventions are put in place to deal with the aftermath arising from this serious economic, occupational, and social issue. Paired with this, according to the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), Hispanics are the fastest-growing segment of the labor force, making the state of Hispanic/Latino workers a national priority. The decline in basic labor protections and recommendations to reverse the rise in fatal injuries among Hispanic workers is another major issue that deserves attention.

Finally, substance abuse and dependency continues to have high prevalence in Hispanic/Latino families. It is necessary to identify culturally competent interventions that will continue to assist their families in addressing alcohol and drug use, dependence, possession and distribution, often times occurring, as a mean to generate income since other opportunities for "legal work and status" are not available. There is a lot of work ahead of us, but help is available, it starts right here.

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