By S. Jolene Hui, LCSW, Membership Coordinator
Marina Ovanessian has had quite a journey leading to her career in social work. An immigrant of Armenian ethnicity, Ovanessian moved to England from Iran when she was a child and then to the Los Angeles area when she was in high school. She believes her immigrant experiences have influenced her to, “…always look at context and realize what’s normal can vary greatly by culture.”
She is a leader who has held multiple roles with NASW, is essentially a perfect student (Summa Cum Laude while an undergrad), and is halfway through her licensing exams for her LCSW.
Since embarking on her social work education, Ovanessian has enjoyed a full range of experiences. She explains that she has been a social worker throughout her education and her career, regardless of when she earned a social work degree, because she has always been in the “role of helping others.” She chose social work for graduate school because: “It involves working with many different populations, and for me, has the most heart of all the careers I explored.”
While in college at the University of California, Irvine, she, “learned of the many challenges people can face, and bad decisions they sometimes make, when they do not receive the help they need.”
As a criminology/psychology major she was interested in working in juvenile delinquency prevention, gang intervention, and parolee re-entry programs. Also, while at UCI, she worked in student housing and “loved helping others navigate college life.”
Completing her MSW degree at University of California, Los Angeles, is one of Ovanessian’s greatest accomplishments. During her time there she had both micro and macro placements. After graduating she worked in a couple of different capacities but then ended up going back for her Pupil Personnel Services Credential (PPSC) to become “more competitive as a job seeker” and because she enjoyed providing therapy to children and teens and developing programs in schools. She is grateful to her fellow MSW grads who have often provided her with advice along her career path.
Since 2012 Ovanessian has worked as a therapist at the non-profit agency Penny Lane Centers. She says, “Although it can be emotionally draining working with clients with tragic backgrounds, and there is often a high-volume of paperwork…I am lucky to work with some amazing colleagues who are both supportive and inspiring.”
She received the Staff Achievement & Recognition Award for the clinic department in November 2014.
She says, “It is a privilege to witness complete strangers, my clients, open up and share their stories in an attempt to receive the support they need. I am deeply proud of many of my clients for their hard work in treatment.
Ovanessian has been a NASW member since she was a student. She is a former financial chair for the San Fernando Valley Unit, a former Region H steering committee member, and a New Professionals Network committee member. She explains that she has met great people through NASW and also about the expansive variety of social work settings. Not only has she been a leader in NASW, she was also active in the Armenian Graduate Students Association at UCLA.
She says, “I enjoyed continuing to strengthen my leadership skills through volunteering for NASW after graduation.”
Her advice to new social workers lies mostly in the area of job searches – be proactive, look everywhere and inquire with everyone, even those you know not in the social work field.
She also says, “I think striving for a balance between one’s personal life and career is crucial and an ongoing task for most social workers. I believe it is essential to try to incorporate regular self-care activities into one’s life.” She spends her free time socializing with family and friends, visiting coffee shops and movie theatres, and walking around peaceful Japanese gardens.
Ovanessian hopes to continue expanding her clinical skills by learning new interventions and more Evidenced Based Practices (EBP’s). She says, “I am grateful for the opportunity to help change the lives of individuals and families and I would love to work on larger projects and contribute to making a positive impact on a community-wide level.”
Jolene Hui, LCSW, is NASW-CA’s membership coordinator and can be reached at jhui@naswca.org.
