Michael Rose, 2013 UM-Flint Social Work alumnus

When Michael Rose looks back at the significant moments that prepared him for a career in social work, he is deeply grateful for the guidance he received from the University of Michigan-Flint’s Social Work Department.

A 2013 graduate of UM-Flint with a bachelor’s degree in social work, Michael grew up in a middle class family in Flushing and, at age 18, began serving as a firefighter in Flushing, and later in Flint. He took college courses in business and fire service technology and had no desire to become a social worker then.

“In 2009, I was laid off from the Flint Fire Department,” he recalled.

After that, he began working as a part-time medic for a local ambulance company. Next, he found himself in a position where he faced several serious felony charges related to his job as a medic.

“I was afforded the opportunity to go through the Genesee County Adult Felony Drug Court Program in August 2010,” he said. “I was faced with an extremely difficult set of circumstances. I had a severe substance use disorder.”

At that point, Michael decided to steer his life into a new direction. While attending a mandated rehab program and dealing with personal financial hardship, he started taking social work courses at UM-Flint. He said it was a decision that changed his life.

Soon he had completed an internship with Remix where he worked with disconnected youth in Genesee County along with his field instructor, Kasie White.

“The internship and the social work program here had a great influence on how I grew as a social worker and as a professional,” he said. “I never doubted I could do it. I was always able to come to the faculty with anything. The faculty and staff were concrete in my foundation and I will never forget that.”

When he received his UM-Flint diploma and successfully completed his court-mandated rehab program requirements, the court dismissed his felony charges.

Today Michael is a licensed social worker and working as an adult services clinical case manager at Hope Network Behavioral East in Flint where he counsels individuals afflicted with mental illness and substance abuse issues and helps clients without a permanent home to secure housing.

Michael credits the UM-Flint Social Work program and faculty with guiding and inspiring him along the way. The program taught him the business aspects of the field along with crisis intervention, trauma-based therapies, interviewing techniques, ethical boundaries, and how to develop empathy for people of varied backgrounds and life situations.

“UM-Flint taught me to appreciate people for who they are and their stories,” Michael said. “As a social worker, a lot of the people we help may be ignored by society. You have to be able to see people at their core.”

He is working toward a master’s degree and hopes to one day teach at the college level and to use his diverse experiences and field knowledge as a wellspring of resources.

As a practicing social worker backed with a UM-Flint diploma, Michael is committed to helping Flint move forward. “My heart is in Flint,” he said.