Class of 2018: Change in countries and careers leads to UCalgary degree

Devin Allen didn’t set out to become a Canadian social worker. In fact, he almost didn’t make it back to Canada after starting his academic career in the U.K. This spring, as Allen graduated with his Master of Social Work, you get the feeling that he also found his academic home after returning home from England.

An extended English vacation

Allen is originally from Lethbridge. Like a lot of young people, he went travelling and fell in love with the U.K. He earned his undergraduate degree in psychology from Sheffield Hallam University in South Yorkshire, England, and worked for a number of years in the field of forensic mental health. 

Eventually, Allen found that he missed his family, friends and Canada, so after his 10-year sojourn, he returned to Alberta. When considering graduate school, Allen felt a strong connection to social work standards of practice, ethics, and values, so he steered his career path straight toward the University of Calgary's Faculty of Social Work. Allen admits he got a lot of early grey hairs during the process but says he has never regretted his decision to switch programs and earn his MSW at UCalgary.

Research and recognition 

Since his degree was in the social sciences, Allen began with a required foundation year of social work education, followed by a specialization year where he completed his thesis, “Exploring Perspectives of Social Workers on Female-Perpetrated Sexual Abuse.” His research was recognized and supported with a prestigious Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Joseph Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship. Allen also worked as a research assistant to Dr. Dorothy Badry, PhD, and Dr. Beth Archer-Kuhn, PhD, while working part-time at the Kerby Centre Shelter.  

When looking back at his action-packed time in the Faculty of Social Work, Allen feels his best moments in the faculty were those he spent building relationships with fellow students and faculty members.

“I remember in one of our classes we had an improv instructor come in for the day,” recalls Allen. “I was dreading it beforehand, but it ended up being one of the most fun and memorable experiences in the program. I remember doing an exercise with a partner where we had to make up dance moves together, which ended up leading to a great friendship!”

Allen’s advice is to apply your passion in social work and seek out opportunities to reinforce those passions as opportunities present themselves. By doing this, he says, students can build networks that will allow them to find their individual path while teaming up with like-minded people. These networks also establish support systems that can help even after graduation.

Allen is currently working on publishing his thesis and hopes his work will help to inform and educate social work practitioners on issues surrounding female-perpetrated sexual abuse. While he’s most excited by clinical social work, with a particular interest in narrative therapy, he is open to all possibilities.