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CUSSW's Ph.D. Graduates - Class of
2003
 The
week preceding a dissertation defense can be tense for doctoral
candidates. But for the Ozanian household, it was a particularly
eventful week. Al and Rhonda Ozanian, both 2003 PhD candidates
at the Columbia School of Social Work, defended their respective
dissertations on the same day at the same time – his on multimedia
substance abuse interventions and hers on patient satisfaction
in mental health services.
“There was a lot of pacing the
floors in our house,” says Rhonda. “It was a very interesting
couple of days.”
The Ozanians, who have been married
for 13 years and are both enlisted in the Air Force, moved
to New York with their two children from San Antonio in order
to pursue their doctorates in social work. “We came to CUSSW
because it had a diverse program in policy and practice,”
says Rhonda, “and we wanted to expose our children to an urban
environment.” After graduation, the Ozanian family will head
to St. Louis where Al will work in behavioral health under
the Air Force Surgeon General and Rhonda will embark on a
family practice residency.
The Ozanians typify what is one
of the CUSSW’s largest, most diverse and distinctive doctoral
classes in the School’s history. With eighteen graduates
this year, the class stands apart from others in terms of
size alone. But the 2003 PhD class is also marked by richness
in diversity both in terms of the graduates’ histories and
career aspirations. The range of doctoral dissertation topics
is noteworthy: from identity issues amongst South Asian women
to ramifications of welfare-to-work programs and African-American
women’s participation in HIV-prevention programs to political
participation among gay and lesbian senior citizens.
This year’s PhD class was highly
international, with graduates from Brazil, China, South Korea,
Taiwan, Trinidad and Vietnam. Brian Lam is one such PhD graduate.
A native of Vietnam, Lam spent two years in a Malaysian refugee
camp before immigrating to California. Today, Lam considers
his years in the refugee camp to have been a transforming
experience. “There was a great deal of hardship, but it cultivated
in me important values,” says Lam, “and strengthened my resilience
and hardiness.”
 Lam’s
past also shaped his career goals at CUSSW.
“When I first immigrated, I never
thought I’d be where I am today. I was given an opportunity
to excel. I would not be at this level in Vietnam today because
of the limited resources there,” says Lam. Going forward as
a social worker, Lam says, he will be in a position to return
the favor: by giving others the resources and opportunities
he struggled to attain. “The important thing for social workers
to remember is that we can help provide others with the resources
and opportunities to excel.” After graduation, Lam will assume
an appointment as an assistant professor at California State
University at Long Beach.
Lisa Ferri
May 22, 2003
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