.Orr, Shandell. Empowering Women from the Classroom to the Community. Undergrad Project. Edmonds College 2019.
This artifact was done at Edmonds College. The focus of this project was to find an organization within Snohomish County to volunteer with a group of students. The organization that our class worked with was Esther’s Place in Everett. It is a day center for homeless women and children. These students planned a meal, bought supplies, and spent the day at Esther’s Place.
I chose this artifact because it was an undergrad project that I spent a quarter putting together. I collaborated with my professor, my peers, and an outside organization. I picked a non-profit organization that I have worked with for almost 5 years. This relates to my future career goal in becoming a social worker because I was able to connect people in the community, work with some of the homeless population, and gain experience in leadership.
Orr, Shandell. From Pain to Purpose, and I Love My Children. BISIA 383. Winter 2021.
Both artifacts are short videos. From Pain to Purpose was the final for this course. I Love My Children was one of the weekly video assignments. BISIA 383 is a creative class that allows you to step outside your comfort zone. The purpose of these assignments is to tell a story and recreate pieces that we watched throughout the course. One example of a piece that we watched during this quarter is the movie Pina, which is based on a famous dancer and choreographer.
Both videos are some of my favorite assignments during my journey at UWB. I felt vulnerable and empowered at the same time sharing some of my story. I grew internally from these assignments, and I was inspired to continue to make videos. Each of the videos have significant meaning because they tell the story of what I came from and how much I've overcome. They also depict the starting point of why I decided to pursue an education and a career in social work in the first place. I would have never had the courage to create either of these videos before taking BISIA 383.
Orr, Shandell. Powerful Women Slide. BIS 387. Spring 2021
This slide was Orr’s final project for Women and American Literature. The material for this course focused on Sojourner Truth, Harriet Jacobs and her story of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, and Angela Davis who wrote Women, Race & Class.
I chose this artifact because women's studies have been one of my favorite topics of study during my journey at UWB. In BIS 387 I learned a lot about the history of some incredible women. I put a lot of time and effort into making this slide. I'm inspired by these courageous women to continue my education in social work and do what I can to make a difference in my community.
Orr, Shandell. Why Funding for Homelessness Matters. BIS 340. Spring 2021.
This artifact is a final research project for BIS 340. This assignment focused on different research approaches, such as text-based analysis, interviewing, mapping, and observation.
I chose this as one of my artifacts because I took a lot of time researching my topic, and I learned a lot of valuable information to deepen my understanding on different research approaches. My research topic was focused on the stigma and racism that influences government funding for programs to decrease homelessness. This is another artifact that is related to my current employment. I am currently a case manager that serves the homeless population in Snohomish County. I will eventually become a social worker that will work with the homeless population. This assignment gave me insight on new perspectives surrounding homelessness.
Orr, Shandell. Thorsrud, Megan. O'Donnell, Claire. Anders, Nigel. The Sentencing Project BIS 255. Summer 2021.
This artifact was done during summer quarter in BIS 255, Critical diversity. It was a group collaboration with Shandell Orr, Megan Thorsrud, Claire O'Donnell, and Nigel Anders on a group project about The Sentencing Project. The Sentencing Project promotes responses to crime that minimize imprisonment and criminalization of youth and adults by promoting racial, ethnic, economic, and gender justice.
I chose this artifact because the focus of this assignment is social justice. The judicial system disproportionately incarcerates people of color, police brutality is high, and the US has one of the highest rates of incarceration. This relates to the field of work that I am pursuing as a social worker. I was able to gain skills to work with peers, and collaborations is something that I will continue to use for Grad school.
Orr, Shandell. Philosophical Tantrum and Who Am I?. BIS 255. Summer 2021.
These pieces go together. They were done as a two-part assignment for a critical diversity course during summer quarter 2021. In class we watched a YouTube video, “Philosophical Tantrum,” by Guillermo Gómez-Peña. After the video we were asked to write a philosophical tantrum. When we were done writing our tantrums, we had to present them in a way inspired by Guillermo Gómez-Peña. Who Am I was inspired by Pena’s tantrum.
I chose both artifacts because they represent a part of my story. My lived experiences are a major contributing factor to why I enrolled in school. I stepped out of my comfort zone and felt vulnerable during these assignments. They are both important and meaningful to me.
Orr, Shandell. Position Paper. BIS 304. Winter 2022.
This artifact was a final for BIS 304. The purpose of this assignment was to find an institution to do research on. The focus of this research was to investigate the areas that could improve, and why the institution doesn’t work. The institution that was investigated for this assignment was child protective services.
I chose this artifact because I found a lot of articles that had important and valuable information, and this institution is related to my future career goal as a social worker. This artifact helped deepen my understanding of how to research issues surrounding social institutions. Another important take away from this assignment is understanding how institutions are biased and can be flawed will help me be aware of my own biases.