Stephanie Stodolka, LMSW
In this episode, our guest Stephanie Stodolka, LMSW discusses her (literally) street-level response to the personal, social and environmental challenges that her school’s children and families – and by extension, staff- face to academic success. In order to bridge gaps related to lower socioeconomic levels, immigrant status and racial bias, she will describe how she assessed, advocated for and executed “Plunge Into Buffalo” – a day-long experiential intervention for her school’s entire faculty and staff that had them riding public transportation, trying to keep appointments and visiting a range of Buffalo-based human service agencies in person. A year and a half in the making, the project provided a visceral experience of spending a day-in-the-life of students and families. Mrs. Stodolka recounts the consensus building process, how the event unfolded and the outcomes.
Stephanie Stodolka, LMSW, is a school administrator at Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School. Currently, she provides services to kindergarten through second grade students. As a licensed social worker, Mrs. Stodolka worked with children, adolescents, families and adults in a variety of settings, including outpatient mental health settings; early interventions; elementary, middle and high schools; and foster care settings.
Interviewer: Peter Sobota, LCSW
