Assistant Dean Val Kalei Kanuha and Lecturer Khalfani Mwamba from the School’s Office of Field Education, participated in a blanket ceremony last month that honored two new MSW graduates—Lynette Roberts and Alison Rath—who completed their advanced practicum at the Seattle Indian Health Board. Jay Cho, another newly minted MSW grad from our School, was unable to attend the ceremony.
A blanket ceremony is traditional in many indigenous cultures. When the blanket is wrapped around a person’s shoulders, it symbolizes a community’s love and protection.
During the blanket ceremony, Kalei opened with a traditional Hawaiian chant, then both she and Khalfani offered words of wisdom to the new graduates and expressed gratitude to SIHB for their mentorship of our students. After being wrapped in wool blankets, the MSW graduates shared their experiences with attendees and then gave gifts to their SIHB field instructors to honor and thank them.
Seattle Indian Health Board, which opened in 1970, is one of the many community partners that provides School of Social Work students with a supervised and supportive learning experience outside the classroom setting. The SIHB serves 6,000 individuals in King County each year, more than two-thirds of whom identify as American Indian or Alaskan Native.