![\"Bustamante\"](\"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/02\/Italia-Bustamante.jpg\")
<\/a>Italia Bustamante is a senior Social Work major at Southern Arkansas University. She is a first-generation college student from De Queen, Arkansas.<\/p><\/div>\n
Dr. Deborah Wilson, chair of Behavioral and Social Sciences, shared that Bustamante has \u201cbeen phenomenal\u201d in everything from research to volunteer service.<\/p>\n
Bustamante graduated from De Queen High School and decided to attend the local community college. \u201cHowever, I had two great mentors who helped me realize that social work is actually my calling.\u201d Not only was SAU the university closest to De Queen offering a degree in social work, it is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), which increases a student\u2019s chances of acceptance into graduate school.<\/p>\n
\u201cI studied to go to physical therapy school during my time at UA Cossatot,\u201d Bustamante said. \u201cI was driven by the fact there was a medical profession that would allow me to interact with people on a daily basis.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, she\u00a0felt\u00a0a desire to do more for her family and others. \u201cI decided to enroll in the Social Work Program and follow this ambition.\u201d She enjoys the demanding structure of the curriculum and the care of her professors at SAU.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey encourage me the most whether it involves school work or just reminding me to practice self-care,\u201d Bustamante said. \u201cI love knowing that this program is preparing me for real life.\u201d<\/p>\n
She credits Dr. Wilson, Dr. Raymond Adams, Jennifer Turner, Whitney Gass, and Dr. Elizabeth Gloyd with providing the friendly atmosphere and positive environment at SAU.<\/p>\n
\u201cMs. Turner and Dr. Adams inspire me in distinct ways,\u201d Bustamante said. \u201cDr. Adams has been a huge academic guide; Ms. Turner is like my college mom. Dr. Wilson was a game-changer. I was having doubts about leaving my hometown and majoring in a social science field, but she is the one who made me drop anchor here.\u201d<\/p>\n
In Wilson\u2019s Research Methods class, Bustamante crafted a paper studying freshman students\u2019 perceptions of how well SAU enforced Title IX policies. \u201cI chose to study freshmen since I was truly curious about the impact a campus environment has on the individual and student retention,\u201d she explained. \u201cDr. Wilson invited fellow professors to come to Peace Hall and provide an opportunity to present like researchers would at a conference.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bustamante also presented at the Arkansas National Association of Social Workers 2019 Conference with her peers and students from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and UA Fayetteville. \u201cThis experience made me feel even more grateful for pursuing my degree through SAU.\u201d<\/p>\n
She finds time to volunteer through University Housing as an RA. \u201cI\u2019ve been able to host a canned food fund-raiser, a clothes drive, and a drive specifically for domestic violence shelters in Camden, Magnolia and Texarkana.\u201d As part of a local internship, she is collecting items for care bags to be given to children displaced from their homes.<\/p>\n
Her plans include becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, addressing mental health and social issues in areas populated by Hispanic\/Latino individuals. \u201cI also plan on incorporating an animal-assisted component into my practice \u2013 that is, if it\u2019s in the Lord\u2019s plan for me!\u201d<\/p>\n
As a first-generation college student and daughter of immigrants, Bustamante said she is absolutely proud of her Hispanic roots. \u201cThey are vibrant and rich in culture,\u201d she said. \u201cHowever, there are gaps in contemporary academe that deserve to be acknowledged in order\u00a0to provide high-quality services to\u00a0this population.\u201d<\/p>\n
Neither of her parents obtained a traditional high school diploma. \u201cEven so, my mother and father disciplined, protected, loved and encouraged me. Their resilience is part of my love for them. When I obtain my license, their sacrifices will remain engraved in my achievements when that license reads \u2018Bustamante-Quintana.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
She intends to fulfill their dream for her to obtain a better standard of living and have access to opportunities that were beyond their reach. \u201cIt is my responsibility to speak on behalf of mi gente<\/em> and help educate them and others by contributing to the developing literature of social work.\u201d<\/p>\n To learn more about the Social Work Program at SAU, please visit\u00a0https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/academics\/program\/social-work\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The resilience and encouragement of her parents has helped guide first-generation college student Italia Bustamante toward pursuing her Bachelor\u2019s in Social Work at Southern Arkansas University. When she graduates this May, she not only will have graduate school to look forward to\u00a0but firm career plans and a heart full\u00a0of gratitude. Bustamante, a senior from De… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":564,"featured_media":7971,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[297,207,7753],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-7970","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bss","8":"category-college-of-liberal-performing-arts","9":"category-homepage","10":"entry"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7970","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/564"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7970"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7970\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7970"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7970"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}