Marit Barber and the Honors Experience

What is Honors at App? Ask Marit Barber (May '17); she has done it all—service, research, international experiences, and internships, all in an interdisciplinary framework. Her next step, graduate school!

Marit's professional goal is to integrate all aspects of health (mental, biological, spiritual) into the care of migrant populations, and to work specifically with victims and survivors of human trafficking. With her work in Honors at App, she is well prepared to launch her career.

For her Honors thesis, Marit completed a literature review and policy analysis of human trafficking that included a proposal for better U.S. policy moving forward. She is currently working to expand that research by analyzing how the transpacific partnership agreement will impact human trafficking. What a timely study and topic of interest!

Marit spent two weeks this past March in India working with the nonprofit organization Freedom 4/24 which, "exists to bring freedom and justice to victims and survivors of sexual exploitation and human trafficking." Their partner organization in India, Freedom Firm, rescues and provides aftercare for victims. Marit had the opportunity to work alongside Indian social workers in hosting the aftercare camp in support of thirty-five girls. As a faith-based organization, Freedom 4/24 works to promote whole life health, and includes a focus on healthy relationships, emotional balance, and spiritual wellbeing. With the camp, Marit planned and led a lesson on "shame and grace." Freedom 4/24's work does not promote any specific belief or religious ideology and recognizes this is a Hindu population. As Marit explained, their goal is, "to love them well and experience healthy relationships with them. We wanted to share ideas, and physical activities like rock climbing, horseback riding, and yoga. We taught them life skills like about germs and hygiene." This is exactly the kind of work Marit would like to continue to do. She hopes to eventually take a role as a social worker in an international organization, one in which cultural competency and social skills are offered in the context of a faith-based mission and curriculum.

This past Spring semester Marit completed an internship with a local community organization, King Street Church. There she worked with Pastor Luke Edwards, an Appalachian alumnus. The mission of King Street Church is one of broad-based community outreach that seeks to incorporate marginalized people into the Christian community. Their work in this region is expansive and includes Grandfather Home for Children, Hospitality House, as well as community support for issues of mass incarceration, solitary confinement, and the death penalty.

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Marit graduated in May of this year with her Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and she has already started the Master's Program in Social Work at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Having been accepted with advance standing, she will be able to complete her MSW in only one year, graduating in May of 2018. She is already interning at UNC Family Medicine where she will be doing behavioral healthcare up through her graduation.

After completing her MSW, Marit plans to work in healthcare, likely as a hospital social worker, while becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). Ultimately, she wants to combine policy work with healthcare in a way that both intersect with human trafficking. After completing her MSW and doing fieldwork, she will consider her options for further graduate studies. This will likely lead her to pursue a doctorate in social work so that she can teach and do policy research, or to law school for policy work. This will be a journey worth following and Marit promises to keep us posted. So stay tuned!

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Photos contributed by Marit Barber highlight her work experience this past spring in India. Faces are covered to protect individuals.

Story by Garrett Alexandrea McDowell, Ph.D.

 

Published: Jun 14, 2017 4:37pm

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