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January 6, 2016

ACS Workforce Institute Awards Scholarships for Staff

We are pleased to announce our inaugural scholarship winners of The Dr. James R. Dumpson Scholarship Program for Studies in Child & Family Services!

The Dumpson Scholarship is a program created by the recently launched ACS Workforce Institute.

The institute provides ACS frontline staff with continuous professional development opportunities including cutting edge learning programs, experiential simulation, skills coaching, and opportunities to obtain continuing education units.

In honor of Dr. Dumpson, a social worker, educator, and advocate, the Dumpson Scholarship program was established to provide financial support to current ACS employees who have demonstrated a commitment to a career in child and family services.

The scholarship will cover tuition at a comparable degree bearing graduate program of study equivalent to the cost of a two-year master’s degree at a CUNY graduate program, at the maximum amount of $17,192.85 per year. A total of $204,000 in scholarships has been awarded by the program and applications will continue to be accepted throughout the year.

ACS is pleased to award 40 staff members with scholarships to attend various universities including CUNY, Fordham University, New York University, Yeshiva University, and Metropolitan College of New York. Read below to learn about some of our winners.


Award Winner
TRINA MCCAULEY:

“Throughout my years at ACS I’ve been through some triumphs and tragedies…one case in particular I will never forget…the mother was in the hospital for mental illness. The father was a chronic alcoholic and was caring for the family’s five children... We did everything we could to keep the children in the home, however it was decided that an emergency removal needed to take place…When we arrived the father…said he couldn’t handle it, and told us to ‘just take the kids.’...Months later I saw the mother and father in court. Both thanked me for removing their kids that day. They said it was because of me they were both drug and alcohol free and they got their children out of foster care. ..That’s what it’s all about.”

  TIKEMA MILAN:

“I feel within my current position a degree in Public Affairs will aid in my ability to further meet the needs of the clients. I will be able to obtain skills that will allow me to relate to the clients and assist them with learning the life skills needed in order to affect change within their own lives.”

Award Winner
ALANE MARCIA RUCHMAN:

“I have committed my career to public service and am dedicated to providing support to NYC’s vulnerable communities. In addition, my long term and future commitment to public services will deepen as I continue my education long after my graduate studies have completed.”

Award Winner
JEREMY BABB:

“Every week for six years, I entered the homes of strangers and conducted investigations to ensure that children were safe. I used social work models to help keep families together and to foster positive growth within the community. It was a job I enjoyed and found very rewarding. I felt a sense of purpose, a sense of direction and I hope that each week…I made a difference in a child’s life….My mission is to help people and I want to help them with a foundation rooted in worldly knowledge. I also want to be an innovative, integrative leader in child welfare. Not only would I be able to work with marginalized populations on the frontline, but I would have the skills to be a dynamic leader.”

Award Winner
TERANCE TRAMMELL:

“Providing constructive and encouraging influences in the lives of children at an early age is key to building a confident and aspiring generation and thereby contributing to the decline of hopelessness and breaking generational destructive patterns… As a CPS worker…there is one family where I assisted in improving healthy interactions and providing stability. I received a case with a single, first time, mother…[She] suffered from mental illness and did not have adequate housing. While working with the family, I accessed the safety concerns, formulated a plan and executed the plan to meet the family’s needs. At the conclusion of the case, the family obtained stable housing, the child was enrolled the child in daycare, the mother was referred to mental health services and I engaged the biological father to participate in his daughter’s life on the weekends. As a result of my interactions with the family, I transformed a family teetering on collapsing to a family were empowered and steadfast.”

Award Winner
ADIMARYS CESPEDES ROSA:

“As a CPS worker… there is one family that stands out the most when I think about how I have made a difference while working for ACS…The mother had lost contact with her sister and other family members due to years of mental health and substance use struggles. Through my work, the mother was able to improve her relationship with the rest of her family. She was able to receive support from loved ones when she needed it most, as well as engage in various services…After about a year of ending my investigation with the family, I saw them at Bronx Family Court on the last day of the case, the mother hugged me and thanked me for not bringing judgment and treating her with respect as well as for helping to unite the family…I am passionate about my career and wish to continue to grow within this agency and community.”

  DERRICK PASCALL:

“My long term career goal in the field of child welfare is to make a positive difference in one child’s life...When the fingers are being pointed, the case workers that have been in contact with the family are held accountable; despite the extraneous circumstances attributed to the actions of the caretakers...The success stories are not broadcast because there is no level to measure immediate success until the child becomes an adult and is able to have a productive life as a result of Administration for Children Services involvement. I am continually trying to help fulfill ACS’s mission of keeping children safe.”

  BRIAN MCGOWAN:

“Obtaining a Bachelors and Master Degree in Urban Studies/Affairs with a concentration in Public Policy will enable me to execute my opinions with conviction and critically examine social issues, while working toward problem solving…Combating social injustice will require a creative confluence of intelligent and real life combinations… My career goal is to become familiar with the policy and planning division within the Administration for Children’s Services. Creating and influencing policies which support safety and permanency of abused/neglected young people in underserved communities is of primary interest… I am motivated by the possibility of change in the world, and even in increments a more equitable society can be achieved.”

Award Winner
AVINASH MAHARAJ:

“A graduate degree in Criminology and Justice will allow me to be better equipped to assist my clients and deal with the varied backgrounds of the individuals involved in the investigative process. It will help me to learn new methods of analyzing the ways laws have evolved along with social changes, the applicability of laws in relation to changing moral standards and the impact of criminal acts on a family’s dynamic... Importantly, it will help me to better understand what impact the criminal justice system has on a family’s unwillingness to cooperate fully with ACS and how to remedy this often troubling aspect of my work…I believe having a graduate degree will allow me to become a better mentor to my co-workers the same way my superiors mentored me when I first started at ACS.”


ACS OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS
Contact: pressoffice@acs.nyc.gov (212) 341-0999