In addition to being one of my favorite instructors, Dr. Erin Kerrison is an Assistant Professor at the UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare. Her mixed-method research approach investigates the impact that compounded structural disadvantage, concentrated poverty and state supervision has on service delivery, substance abuse, violence and other health outcomes for individuals and communities marked by criminal justice intervention. Kerrison discusses what it is like to be an Introvert in this field, and how she manages that with her love and boundaries.  Kerrison is currently working on a book project, Hustles and Hurdles: Law’s Impact on Desistance for Job-Seeking Former Prisoners, and has been published in Essence magazine. 

Steven "Sparky" Czifra is an Underground Scholar at UC Berkeley and achieved his undergraduate degree there as well. Sparky was an inmate at Pelican State Prison and spent 8 years in solitary confinement. Today, Sparky is a husband and father to two children. He considers marvling at the ordinary a gift, and was interviewed by Oprah on 60-minutes about the detrimental impacts of solitary confinement in prisons. 

Nisrine Nammour is originally from Beirut, Lebanon. She brings an international perspective to mental health in America, and like many of us, she has loved people who have struggled with mental health and coping difficulties; her kindness extended to helping someone in need outside of a Starbucks, which prompted a conversation about our responsibility to those in our community. She shares her reflections about possible policy changes, and where she believes the root of these issues stem from. 

U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Brian Vargas was shot, and almost killed on Jan. 17, 2007, in Iraq’s Triangle of Death city of Hīt. Despite 10 surgeries, 188 other medical procedures, persistent insomnia and post-traumatic stress disorder, Brian graduated undergrad from UC Berkeley with a 3.5 GPA in 2016 with a Bachelor’s in Social Welfare. Brian has since helped Diablo Valley College plan a new veterans resource center with a U.S. Veterans Administration psychologist, and is designing a novel method of deterring veterans from impulsive firearms suicide. Brian also helped VA psychologist Dr. Shauna Springer develop the LIVE-4-BOX concept as a way to prevent veterans from ending their lives.

Melanie is a MSW candidate originally from St. Croix, VI. She has worked as a Program Director for House of Blues Music Forward Foundation, as a Community Engagement Manager at San Diego Habitat for Humanity & has volunteered at Center for Community Solutions as a Sexual Assault Response Team Volunteer (SART). She also worked as an ESL instructor in Sogamoso, Colombia. Melanie talks about the importance of self care, the support of the Spirit and how people can help St. Croix right now. I feel fortunate to be in the same cohort as Melanie, so please enjoy this episode. 

Sam Hoiland is a Production Assistant on the set of 13 Reasons Why, and a creative comrade. He and I discuss how insidious depression can be, and the realities of suicide. Sam and I went to college together in Oregon, and he speaks to the positive impact nature has on him. Sam and I discuss his film project, RnRx, and how he personally found solace in meditation. We also discuss how mental health issues are becoming more prevalent themes in today’s pop culture. Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-TALK (8255)