Meet Ameenah Rashid. Ameenah is a recent graduate (2019) from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration (SSA). She earned her master’s degree in social work with a focus on policy and administration. She wants to focus on blending research and policy to address the country’s overuse of incarceration, specifically in communities of color. Her short-term goal is to intersect her social work practice with the criminal justice field with re-entering citizens, particularly to ensure that gender-responsive approaches to re-entry are being utilized to address behavioral health and the reduction of recidivism. Long-term, she plans to open an urban wellness center that would offer affordable counseling and other services in “wellness deserts” or communities that lack adequate access to knowledge and resources that can heal, strengthen and unite individuals, families, and children.
“I have always been connected to Hyde Park through friends and family. Prior to living in Chicago, I used to visit from the San Francisco Bay Area and Hyde Park was one of the first places I would land to get my vacay started. Being in school at the University of Chicago has offered me an opportunity to actually feel like part of the community and access its beautiful nooks and crannies.”
“I like Hyde Park for its quaint neighborhoods, historical landmarks, architecture, goods and resources, and how it brings people from all walks of life together to serves as a center for cultural exchange through small business, education, the arts, science, and nature.”