Dr. So Lan Liang, LCSW, DSW, believes that experiential learning can be a transformative experience in helping students to discover their passions, develop expertise and find direction.
As the Manager of the City Tech Service Corps, a program that mobilizes students to work on projects that have a strong social impact, Dr. Liang helps students to become successful not only as learners, but also as citizens. In partnership with numerous government agencies and non-profit organizations, students gain real-world world experience through service. In addition to increasing their transferable skills required at the workplace such as communication skills and teamwork, students also expand their leadership skills, self-confidence, knowledge of social issues and the landscape of community-based organizations and government agencies while making a meaningful difference through helping fellow New Yorkers.
Each time students rise to the occasion in their civic engagement, they strengthen their hearts, their minds and their will. Students whose discipline and hard work are driven by a powerful why are more likely to persist and succeed. Social justice and the belief that every human life has dignity becomes both a compass and an engine that drives their actions. As students grow and make connections, they come to understand that this is just the beginning of a life-long commitment to learning and to becoming citizens of their community. They come to see that they are more powerful than they think in making the world a more hopeful, a more just, and a more vibrant place rich in diverse talents and contrasting values.
Dr. Liang, in the capacity as a bilingual licensed clinical social worker and a Program Director, has spent two decades fostering the well-being of our underserved communities, including children, at-risk families, new immigrants, the unemployed, minority and women businesses. She brings to City Tech a wealth of knowledge in best practices in non-profit management, workforce development, social work field education, higher education, economic development, minority and community health.
Dr. Liang is also the campus adviser for the US Department of State's Fulbright Program and a field supervisor for both MSW and BSW students (Master and Bachelor of Social Work). She was a former member of the Board of Directors for the Association of Asian American Yale Alumni. So Lan has received recognition of excellence from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the American Red Cross and the U.S. Census Bureau. She expresses gratitude for the opportunity to be involved with the Service Corps and to continue pursuing her life-long commitment to community service, social justice and education.
"We rise by lifting others." — Robert Ingersoll
"Character is destiny and moral formation is at the center of any healthy society." —David Brooks