UCCS Social Work

Cristin Boos is pursuing an MSW starting in Summer 2022. Cristin was born and raised in Germany, and is therefore bilingual. She is a social butterfly and loves to help people, which led her to social work. Her goal within the profession is to be an advocate and counselor for children and teens in the foster/adoption system. She is drawn to working with kids because she is able to get on their level and build rapport quickly by making meaningful connections. In the past Cristin has worked with children on the autism spectrum and absolutely loved it. If she can make a difference in someone's life, she feels like she has done her job:)

Originally from Rhode Island where she began her academic career at the University of Rhode Island obtaining her Bachelors in Anthropology & Criminal Justice in 2013. Just three weeks after graduating she joined the United States Air Force as a Security Forces member where she served for 8 years. During her time in the military, she received her master’s degree in Criminal Justice and Law Administration from Colorado State University in 2018. The military led her to Colorado Springs where she fell in love with the mountains and decided Colorado was home. While looking for her passion in life to make meaning after the military she came across UCCS and found that they were offering a brand new MSW program. She saw this as an opportunity to bridge her education and life experiences into a career that values social justice, human rights, ethics, empowerment, and is centered through healing.

Originally from The Kingdom of Eswatini in Southern Africa, Gcinile began her social service career as a community development associate at World Vision International-Eswatini where she worked for three years before relocating to the United States. She then began her academic career at Lincoln University of Missouri where she completed her Bachelor of Social Work degree. While at Lincoln, she was a board member at Faith Voices for Jefferson City where they specialized in policy change and social justice advocacy. She also interned at Catholic Charities where she worked with refugees and assisted them with finding accommodation, getting necessary U.S documentation, and understanding American culture. As part of her social work development, she worked for the Missouri Department of Mental Health as a forensic rehabilitation specialist in the state's maximum security state hospital. Upon graduation, she relocated to three more states before coming to Colorado. While applying for master's programs in North Carolina where she was residing at the time, they received military orders for the beautiful state of Colorado. While looking for schools here, she came across UCCS and found that they offered an advanced standing Master of Social Work degree. She was thrilled to receive the acceptance letter and to learn that she could finish her Master of Social Work (MSW) in three semesters which was both exciting and challenging. While at UCCS, she completed her internship with the Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience - Veterans Health and Trauma Clinic.

My name is Michael Anthony Brown, but my preferred name is Axel. I was born on October 28th , 1995 in Queens, NY. I completed all of K-12 in NYC as well. Upon graduation from Curtis High School (Staten Island, NY) I enlisted in the United States Army. My choice for going to the military was very simple, I was terrible in my academic studies as a teenager, and I just felt I was not prepared for the college route. There was something that I always wanted from a college experience, but I will tell you about that later. I also had a hunger for things that I was not able to have as a child. I wanted the "status". The military provided that for me but that is not all that was provided for me. This biggest takeaway that I took away from the military were the faces of my two beautiful children. Matthew, who is 6, and Leia, who is 4 years old. My children are the reason I am the man that stands before you today. I am not a perfect man, but I am proud of the man that I am today and every single one of my fellow Mountain Lions make it a joy to be able to hold this title of Student Body President. From the earliest I can remember, which would be approximately 14 y/o, I wanted to be the leader of my class. I also wanted to become a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. These are things that the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs awarded me when I became a mountain Lion. The things that I wanted to do as a child are complete. 14-year-old Michael Anthony Brown is satisfied, but there is still more work to do, right? I chose the social work program at UCCS because it chose me. The faculty in the College of Public Service has never failed me in my time of need. The timeliness in responses to students is exceptional. Because of those leaders, I ensure that if a fellow student email me I reply to them no more than thirty minutes later. I have also implemented a Smoothie with the President Application that is live on Mountain Lion Connect, whether you want to bring me a concern, have a question or would just like a free smoothie, I will be there for you. I would like to conclude by telling EVERYONE... Thank you, for allowing me to become the best version of myself alongside of you, it means the world to me.