Christy Brown
Las Vegas, N.M. — New Mexico Highlands University master of social work student Christy Brown received a $500 Love of Learning Award from the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.
Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.
Brown, a Santa Fe native and Española resident, completed her BSW from the Highlands Santa Fe Center in May, earning a 4.0 GPA and magna cum laude honors. She started the MSW advanced standing graduate program this semester with a concentration in clinical social work practice.
“Social work appealed to me because it encompasses all the social sciences, and I like that there are an abundance of professional opportunities,” Brown said. “I enjoy advocating for underprivileged families to access resources such as education, health care, and shelter.”
Brown, 35, is interning as a community infant health therapist at Las Cumbres Community Services in Santa Fe. She has also completed internships with New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department in the Permanency Planning Unit and the In-Home Services Unit.
“I’m interested in working with infant mental health and attachment-based intervention,” Brown said. “Working with the parent and baby to promote healthy bonding fosters social and emotional development.
“I’m also interested in dialectical behavioral therapy that helps people with impulse control and emotional regulation. This therapy is gaining more use in substance abuse treatment to maintain sobriety,” Brown said.
Brown has taken a number of courses with Irma Garcia-Sanchez, visiting social work professor at Highlands University.
“The foundation of social work is about humanity and the love of people,” Garcia-Sanchez said. “Christy has such empathy and compassion for people. She has the vision and heart to be a genuine social worker who is there to serve her clients, and meet their needs. She will be an asset to the social work profession.”
Garcia-Sanchez added that Brown is an exceptional student with impeccable writing skills, essential for social work practice.
“Christy is always very eager to learn so the Love of Learning Award suits her,” Garcia-Sanchez said.
“The social work professors at Highlands are simply wonderful,” Brown said. “They challenge me to succeed while also nourishing and supporting me as a social worker, person and mother. I feel privileged to be part of the School of Social Work.”