JFS Awards Inaugural Barry Stein Student Scholarship

By Kim Kupfer

Brittany Durben started college as an engineering major, but found during her first year that engineering didn’t fit for her.  She kept being misidentified as a teaching or social work student, so she checked into those areas of study, and decided Social Work felt right. 

After starting classes in her major, she found that Social Work was the right place for her.  Then, in spring 2021, she was referred to JFS for her senior internship, an integral part of Social Work education. 

Brittany interned with the JFS Adoption and Foster Care program full-time during the spring semester of her senior year and found her calling.  In return, the program and its staff found a thoughtful, caring, curious, and well-rounded Social Worker in the making.

As this semester wraps up, JFS is proud to grant Brittany Durben, Messiah College class of 2022, the first Barry Stein Student Scholarship for use in her graduate school studies beginning this fall.  We want to thank those who donated to the scholarship fund and Brittany for all her hard work, and we wish her the best of luck.

The Barry Stein Student Scholarship was established in honor of retired JFS Executive Director Barry Stein, who resides in Harrisburg and was featured in October 2021 at an event and interview focusing on life lessons learned from his extensive battle with COVID-19.