Nesley Bravo

6/2/14
Social Welfare 315 Final Paper

For the past six months and after over 120 hours of volunteering for Communities in
Schools (CIS) at Roxhill Elementary School in West Seattle, I can thoroughly examine my
experience. As a volunteer, I worked as a Team Lead in a group of four to six students during the
after-school math program, Math All Stars. My reflection of this role includes my impact as a
volunteer, what I have learned, my perspective of service work, connections to the class material
and future practice.
Through my experience, I have learned a plethora of new skills and ideas, and faced
some challenges. One of those being an understanding of how Communities in Schools operates
in a program. This knowledge was gained through asking Beth, the site coordinator questions
about how they collect data, how they track students and what the organizational structure is.
CIS is one example of one organization has a more laid back structure, despite serving its
community many programs. Having this information connects with my belief and what we
learned in class that it is necessary to have knowledge not only on the population you serve, but
the organization as well. This is necessary when coming in as an outside or new person as
understanding procedures can help you know how to navigate the system to make the most
effective change possible.
A new learning experience, and a challenge was working with a younger age group of
early elementary school students. Before volunteering at Roxhill Elementary, I had never
interacted with kids and had spent the last three years mentoring and working in a high school.
This experience showed me that despite enjoying my CSL and building relationships with the
students, my interests lie in working with older students. A challenge I faced working with a
younger age group was learning how to interact with them, such as what to talk to them about

Nesley Bravo
6/2/14
Social Welfare 315 Final Paper

and how to discipline them. This was a particular challenge due to having different approaches
when working with high school students. I would like to further explore how Math All Stars
tracks students once they are out of the program to examine their growth or feelings towards
Math.
A connection I have made to our social work courses, specifically in Social Welfare 312
is the examination of the organization at the macro level from an outsider perspective. For
instance, the course has provided me the skills and knowledge to examine the needs and assets of
the community from my perspective, and whether or not I see Communities in Schools meeting
their needs and utilizing their strengths. This is applicable to future practice as this analysis can
be done when entering other organizations in the future, and can be used to reflect on when
creating your own macro plans.
Another concept I utilize is the systems theory. I first learned about this theory during
Autumn quarter in Social Welfare 420. Systems theory has been important in working with
students as it provides me a greater understanding of their current state, and how that affects
other factors such as school performance or social interactions. Systems within their lives greatly
impact each other and help give perspective to a students life. I have also used systems theory to
understand how students are effected by the other systems in their lives and to try to extrapolate
that to build a greater understanding of the current state of the high school students I work with
at Roxhills feeder high school, that have similar systems.
Another perspective weve utilized and discussed in all Social Welfare classes is the
strengths perspective. This perspective is core to social work as social workers utilize strengths
to empower clients and to find the good in what may be daunting situations. A positive outlook
2

Nesley Bravo
6/2/14
Social Welfare 315 Final Paper

allows social workers to best serve their clients. Assets of Roxhills community in West Seattle
is their cultural diversity. There is a high percentage for each ethnic group and ELL students in
the school which is reflected in the Math All Stars demographics. A strength of the population is
their high energy. The students never fail to be enthusiastic and full of optimism when I see them
every Tuesday, which has been a highlight of my experience. An asset of the community is
having a plethora of services provided in the schools and greater community for families that are
immigrants or low-income, such as Communities in Schools. Math All Stars is an example of
how the program builds on the strengths of the community. In particular, Math All Stars
develops students math skills and fosters a love for school.
My role as a Team Lead for Math All Stars has included supervising the students during
recess and snack time. I talk with the students, bring them to the bathroom and make sure they
are on task. This role has allowed me time to build relationships with students. My main role is
to facilitate two groups of four to six students through a math activity. During preparation time
before the students get out of school Beth walks me through this activities so I am able to explain
them to the students. I believe my impact at Math All Stars has been provided students another
supporting adult figure in their lives, whether they are lacking them or not. I hope having worked
consistently with the students has provided them a form of stability and a good example of how
to support another.
In terms of personal and professional growth, and how my CSL has prepared me for
future practice, I will assess the attainment of and gaps in my social work knowledge and skills.
My CSL has allowed me to utilize professional and personal skills of critically listening and
patience through meeting the client where they are at. This skill was important to use, especially

Nesley Bravo
6/2/14
Social Welfare 315 Final Paper

as the students are at a time in their lives where they are developing the foundation of their
knowledge and social skills. Also as previously mentioned, I have been able to critically observe
the functions of the organization and their effectiveness through social work course material. A
gap in my practice my skills steps has been working through a case load and the formal steps
with clients, such as beginnings, assessing and endings. Because I have not had the ability to
formally practice a case load, I look forward to doing so in my practicum and future work to be
able to practice what I learned in Social Welfare 310 and 311.
My experience working with the students of Roxhill Elementary School has allowed me
to see how social work and education can intertwine. Based on the last sixth months, I know I
want to work with students within a similar capacity where I can be a part of my two interests.
My community service learning experience has permitted me to utilize my skills and knowledge
gained from class, and to apply them to a real life situations. From critically looking at
Communities in Schools as a model to building relationships with the community, I will truly
miss working with the Math All Stars students and the excitement they have provided me
weekly.