A Global Social Work Internship During the COVID-19 Pandemic

by Shenae Osborn, LMSW, MA

     As social workers, it is our job to advocate for others. Our journey to becoming social workers is long but rewarding. In the efforts to ensure students are properly equipped to take on clients once graduated, it is important that students complete their internships in a manner that leaves a positive impression, not only on their supervisor but also on the clients that were seen during that internship. Obtaining the right internship can be tedious, so when the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe, new ways of attaining knowledge, education, and experience required perseverance, effective and constant communication, compassion, and understanding. 

     In May 2021, I graduated from Fordham University’s Graduate School of Social Work. My journey wasn’t easy, for personal reasons, but the COVID-19 pandemic would ensure that my determination to succeed would be challenged during very trying times—not only personally but globally—along with the global population. Oddly enough, there was a sense of reassurance and unity I felt because I was not alone in the experience. When we go through problems on a personal level, it can feel very isolating, but the pandemic created collaboration among people, especially social workers.

     With the inception of the pandemic, my first internship was cut short near the very end. Thankfully, I had attained the hours required, so I was not worried like so many other students were. The issue, however, was obtaining the second required internship. This would prove to be much more difficult, not only because we were in the middle of a global pandemic, but all the other students that needed their hours for their internships that were cut short needed to find something sooner rather than later.

     I was determined to find a macro level internship in the hope that I could get a different view of social work. Thankfully, I was successful at obtaining an internship with Dr. Elaine Congress where I would become a United Nations intern. This was not easy, though. Obtaining this internship required me to make many calls, persistently. Of course, I felt bad that I was bothering people who were extremely stressed trying to help students get their necessary hours, but I knew that I had to advocate for myself under the circumstances. As social workers, we often place others and their needs before our own, but like the oxygen bag in the airplane, we must place the mask on ourselves before we can help others. 

     It takes many people, including professors, other students, family, and friends to help us achieve our ultimate goal. I was so fortunate to have Dr. Congress see my drive to really make a positive impact. It is because of her that I was chosen to be one of two International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) student interns at the United Nations. As one can imagine, this opportunity was enormous and truly an honor, but it would not be easy. I basically was doing two internships during a pandemic.

     Hannah, the other IFSW United Nations intern from Monmouth University, and I worked hard to ensure we achieved all of the tasks assigned to us through IFSW, which included writing two United Nations commission statements on behalf of IFSW under very strict parameters in a very limited time limit. Collaborating with other international IFSW representatives and creating events like the student conference for Social Work Day at the UN proved to be a challenge, but not one that as a team Hannah and I couldn’t handle. Although we were not given guidance from previous IFSW interns, the guidance we were given through the North American IFSW commissioner, Dr. Michael Cronin, and the other IFSW representatives proved to be instrumental not only for succeeding on our assigned tasks but in gaining immense knowledge on working through challenging times. 

     The bottom line is that our success is never achieved alone. Learning to listen to others, work together, embrace flexibility, and see outside of the box are essential to achieving goals. The global pandemic truly made things more difficult, but it also expanded our networking capabilities and, therefore, advocacy efforts. We learned that technology can create greater inclusion while also teaching us that relying on technology too much can still be limiting because of connection errors and time differences. Social workers have the world before them to make a difference, whether it is on the micro, mezzo, or macro level. The opportunities are endless, and with the tools we have in our hands and the knowledge COVID-19 gave us, there really are no barriers that should stop you from achieving your dreams as a social worker. Life will continue to offer us lessons. Take them and learn. Then…go out and succeed!

Shenae Osborn, LMSW, MA, works as a psychotherapist in Manhattan, New York. As an IFSW Representative to the United Nations, Shenae focuses her global advocacy efforts on gender-based violence and the protection of women and children, a subject matter for which she won an international award for her research and presentation. Currently, Shenae is in the process of co-editing upcoming volumes of Behavioral Science in the Global Arena, for which she also co-authored two chapters.