CASA Community Member of the Week

Name: Sondra S.

Role: CASA Volunteer, Friends of CASA Volunteer


What interested you about the CASA Program?

My experiences working with Children's Advocacy have inspired me to become increasingly involved in the issues surrounding child welfare. When I heard of the opportunity to advocate for abused and neglected children, my perspectives on ethics and social justice were supported by the role of a CASA volunteer. This position to advocate and empower today's youth was an opportunity that I was immediately interested in.

Work Experience/Volunteer Experience/Education:

I am currently a senior at the University of Michigan School of Literature, Science, and the Arts. I am pre-law with a concentration in biopsychology. Throughout my time as an undergraduate, I have had the opportunity to become involved in a number of experiences that have helped to shape my interest.

This past summer, I had the opportunity of working as an Intern in the Pediatric Advocacy Clinic at the University of Michigan. This position exposed me to a number of advocacy cases that I worked on to organize and maintain for the law clinic.

I have also had the the chance to become a member of the Children's Advocacy Initiative at the University of Michigan Mott's Children's Hospital. As part of this program, I have worked to speak up for kids by communicating with legislators regarding improvements in the health and well-being of the children in Michigan.

Hobbies/Fun Fact(s) about Yourself:

I love to travel and I am currently working on becoming proficient in Spanish! I enjoy learning about different cultures and plan to someday go abroad. I also love taking pictures and going to concerts.

How did you hear about the CASA Program?

I was speaking with a friend of mine (who is also pre-law at the University of Michigan) when he mentioned I should look into CASA. We were discussing the different areas of law that we were interested in when he said that CASA seemed like it would be a great fit for me.