Jane Kurohara

An interview with Jane Kurohara as she speaks to us about her wealth of experience in working in the field of social work and also specifically her experience in California both as a practitioner and on the field faculty of the UCLA school of Social Welfare.

Interviewed by Colleen Friend. Date of Interview: 04-01-13. Length of Interview: 1 Hour 36 minutes. DVD containing Interview.

California Social Work Hall of Distinction Biography

Interview Topics

(2:21) Background and attending George Warren Brown school of social work in St. Louis. (6:04) Working for Bureau of Sight Conservation in Hawaii. (9:18) Practicing Social Work in the 50's . (13:50) Cultural shock of St. Louis and the Mason-Dixon line. (18:50) Maturation and first year placement with the dept. of public social services. (20:01) Second year placement at Washington University Medical Center . (24:53) Working at psychiatric Hospital. (28:50) Coming to Los Angeles in the late 60's . (31:32) Social action and attending UCLA. (35:30) Confronting Dean Cohen of UCLA and advocating for equal representation of Asian Americans . (39:58) Field Instructing for UCLA. (46:04) Working in Admissions committee and recruitment efforts. (49:25) Gaman and confronting racism . (53:20) UCLA school of social welfare and recruitment . (54:56) Pioneering efforts that paved way for more Asian American students . (1:04:14) Experience in mentoring students and advocating for Asian American students . (1:07:38) Her efforts' influence on other schools of social work . (1:13:15) Supporting minority students and affirmative action . (1:16:26) Value of interviewing social work students . (1:22:44) Philosophy of placing students in field work . (1:25:58) Students reflecting her work and their successes . (1:28:50) Serving on the Council on Social Work Education . (1:31:50) Concerns of mass production of social work students. (1:32:46) Various aspects of current life being folded into the new curriculum . (1:35:38) Wrap up and Closing