Civic Engagement Academy Council Members
Peter Sobota, Academic Director
- Clinical Assistant Professor, School of Social Work
- 666 Baldy Hall
- Phone: (716) 645-3381, ext. 269
- Fax: (716) 645-3456
- E-mail: psobota@buffalo.edu
- Website: http://www.socialwork.buffalo.edu/facstaff/scripts/faculty_page.asp
Hindsight is a beautiful thing. I am a lifelong Buffalo-area resident and have little doubt that the various communities I have lived in have shaped not only how I view the world, but how I value relationships with individuals, my profession, and my sense of purpose. My early experiences in an urban neighborhood and the positive influence of the citizens who lived there, formed my beliefs about the powerful impact of community or environment in shaping the person.
It was at the age of 18 and at UB that I first read Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals and felt the strong call toward his vision of communities controlled by their citizens and a career in social work. My undergraduate experiences in the community known as the University at Buffalo further developed my awareness that I not only valued the influence of that environment, but that I also wanted to contribute toward improving my community and more, the social conditions of others. After completing a Masters degree at UB, I began a sixteen year career as a practitioner, trying to make a difference. Somehow, that path led to an adjunct faculty position, then a full-time appointment in 2001, to the UB School of Social Work. Years later, many different settings, the same passion. In my own small way, I still believe it’s possible to make a difference, still hopeful I can serve the public good. It’s been exhilarating so far, and never boring.