Brown School Students Chosen as 2019 CSWE Minority Fellows

PhD; Social Work; Students

Two Brown School students were recognized as CSWE Minority Fellows at the 2019 Council for Social Work Education Annual Program Meeting in Denver.

CSWE’s Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) aims to increase the number of individuals trained to work with underrepresented and underserved racial/ethnic minority persons with or at risk for mental health and/or substance abuse disorders.

Autumn Asher BlackDeer, third-year doctoral student in social work at the Brown School, was selected as one of 25 Doctoral Fellows nationally. Her research focuses on behavioral health and sexual violence within American Indian populations. 

She received her BA in Psychology from Arkansas Tech University in 2015 and completed her MSW from the University of Oklahoma – Tulsa in 2017. Autumn has 5 years of experience working in various inpatient psychiatric hospitals where she facilitated psychoeducational groups and ensured patient safety. Autumn is a strong proponent for American Indian higher education, advocate for survivors of sexual violence, and is committed to addressing health disparities within Indian Country.  She is member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma and a fellow of the Brown School’s Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies. 

Kyliah Thompson, MSW ’21, was chosen as one of 44 Master’s Fellows. Thompson hopes to use theater and therapy to help those fighting generational stress and trauma.

She received her bachelor’s degrees in psychology and theater from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2018. Thompson has worked previously as both a behavioral therapist for those with autism and a cognitive clinician. At the Brown School, she is concentrating in mental health, and is a master’s research fellow in the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Equity. 

As CSWE Fellows, Thompson and Asher BlackDeer will benefit from networking and mentorship opportunities to help them achieve their career goals, as well as financial stipends.