Andreja Siliunas ’14 (a sociology major and math minor from Riverside, Illinois) has interned with Wayne County Children Services for three years. But last summer, as part of the College’s Applied Mathematical Research Experience (AMRE), she began to see the organization in a whole new light. AMRE, an experiential learning program run by Professor John Ramsay, connects students with clients who need help with a problem or question; a team of students then spends eight weeks working through the problem and presents solutions at the end of the program.
Andreja was formally hired by Wayne County Children Services to work as a member of an AMRE team of student researchers on a challenging question: Why was the number of children coming under state care skyrocketing in Wayne County? Andreja and the rest of the team worked together to examine hundreds of cases to find patterns and put together data for study. At the end of the summer, Andreja’s team presented their findings to the entire agency.
This experience helped Andreja understand social welfare problems on a much broader level. Her I.S., which focuses on policy relating to the child welfare system, has been helped by her new understanding of the importance of data and the effects of policy on real people.
By Madeleine O’Neill ’16