Student receives top honor

Brian Bohannon

The Signal Staff

Deysi Crespo, Social Justice Student of the Year Award recipient.

The recipient of this year’s UHCL Social Justice Student of the Year Award is Deysi Crespo.

The Social Justice Student of the Year Award is an honor granted to graduating seniors of the social work program who have placed the community at large above themselves in order to help those populations who are vulnerable or at risk.

Recipients of this award take a multi-faceted approach to social work, targeting a host of issues affecting a wide range of age groups and cultures.
Crespo accepted the award at the University of Houston, along with students from the university’s other system-wide campuses.  Other recipients included members of professional groups outside of the university.

“To be included with all these people was a huge honor,” Crespo said adding that she was always conscious that as a UHCL student she had “a reputation to uphold.”

Crespo is involved in a multitude of activities.  For one, she develops programs addressed at preventing teen violence.  In this role, Deysi visits various school districts doing speaking engagements with students in an attempt to reach children at a time when many life defining moments and choices are at their feet.  She has spoken at Galena Park, Pasadena, Katy, and other Houston area school districts, and continues her work in this field today.

In addition to her work on teen violence, Crespo has done work as an advocate for family assault funding.

“Many don’t know that victims of robbery, homicide and sexual assault may be eligible to be helped out through this program with money, and even counseling services,” Crespo said.

Compensation is granted via the Office of the Attorney General in Austin.  Crespo began her work in this field through her internship with the Houston Police Department Victim Services Department, which she describes as “rigorous and intense.”

In fact, she got her first start in social work through the UHCL program as well.  The Bachelors of Social Work program is a 3 year program; one which requires of students a minimum of 40 hours of volunteer work per semester.  What she found was an agency by the name of Katy Christian Ministries.  This place served as a launch pad for her career.

“They really opened a lot of doors to everything else I’ve done,” Crespo recalled fondly, “I really found myself there.  They have a crisis center for domestic abuse and sexual assault…and I didn’t know it existed right by my house.”

Her volunteer work continued well beyond the course requirements until May of 2008 when they decided to hire her on part time.

Currently in the works for this ambitious student are presentations on Shaken Baby Syndrome in addition to her duties as the Youth Program Director for the Katy Exchange Club.  This is all in addition to campus participation, where she acts as the SGA representative for the Social Work Student Organization.
She continues her work on Teen Violence and hosts educational support groups, and also moonlights as a Research Assistant with Kim Case, assistant professor of women’s studies.

“Even though Deysi already juggles course work, her internship, community activism, student organizations and family responsibilities, she is the type of student that goes the extra 100 miles to learn something new” Case said.  “Her presence has truly brightened the semester.”