Ramireddy (left) with Debbie Matheson, executive director of Violence Free Futures
Submitted photos
Esther Ramireddy (left) and Corynn Brock are current Cedarville University students working with Violence Free Futures in Greene County.
CEDARVILLE — You don’t have to have finished your college degree to start doing good work.
Two Cedarville University international students, Esther Ramireddy, a junior psychology major from Dubai, and Corynn Brock, a senior psychology and pre med major from Peru, are working as crisis intervention specialists at Greene County’s Violence Free Futures (VFF), formerly known as the Family Violence Prevention Center.
At the beginning of the summer, Ramireddy began her psychology internship with VFF, and a month into it, she was invited into a part-time staff role with the crisis intervention team.
Brock learned of an open part-time position at VFF upon hearing about Ramireddy’s psychology internship, and she applied.
“I was interviewed 20 minutes after submitting my application!” Brock said.
In working with the crisis intervention specialist team, Brock and Ramireddy handle a variety of tasks, including taking crisis calls from the hotline and support office and helping clients reach legal and counseling appointments.
Debbie (Trimble) Matheson, a Cedarville social work graduate, has worked with VFF for 30 years, and this is her 13th year as executive director.
“Cedarville’s values of loving God and others and pursuing integrity and excellence meld well with developing empathy and respect when helping people in crisis,” Matheson said. “Esther and Corynn exemplify these values and fit well here.”
Brock comes to her work with a unique perspective: She wants to take professional medical and psychological aid to those on the mission field.
“There is so much hurt and trauma that can result from being on the foreign mission field, something I’ve had the unfortunate opportunity of witnessing, and there’s not much available help for missionaries who seek it or need it,” Brock said.
Ramireddy hopes to attend graduate school after graduation, pursuing a Ph.D. in psychology and working in a private practice.
“Cedarville taught me the theory about how to deal with people in crisis. My faith taught me how to deal with people with care and tenderness,” Ramireddy said.
