Ashley Ogwang

Ashley Ogwang is a first-year Master’s student studying Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice. She previously earned her Bachelor’s in Government and English at Wesleyan University in 2023. She is passionate about immigrant rights and education access as well as supporting BIPOC mental health needs, particularly those who have a history of substance use and addiction. Before SP2, she worked full-time in Massachusetts at an immigrant resettlement agency for more than two years and was part of the Skills Training team. There, she managed a program supporting a diverse group of ORR-eligible clients as they pursued their career advancement goals, including navigating the community college admissions process, and she collaborated with clients to ensure they had the resources to succeed in higher education. Ashley developed an interest in behavioral health after the 2024 presidential election when she noticed clients began expressing fear that they would be pulled from the communities they had worked hard to establish themselves in, which led them to become increasingly worried about their career prospects. Ashley wishes to transfer the direct service skills she developed while working with immigrant communities to support BIPOC adults who have endured trauma. She hopes to empower them to recognize that taking the first step to seek help is not a sign of weakness and that they deserve fair, comprehensive behavioral health support, regardless of their background. After graduating from SP2, sharpening her clinical eye through work experience as a practitioner and earning clinical licensure, she wishes to work as a clinical director where she can focus on the same population of interest.