Less than three weeks ago, the new School of Social Work at the University of Hargeisa in Somaliland opened its doors to 50 incoming students, including 25 young women.

During the fall of 2013, the Friends of the University of Hargeisa School of Social Work,a committee established to lay the foundation for the creation of the School of Social Work,collected 300 social work-related books to form the first library for the program.

On November 4th, Mohamed Islam, 31, was awarded with Crime Prevention Ottawa's 2013 Youth Worker Award in a ceremony at City Hall. Crime Prevention Ottawa (CPO) is an organization which aims to reduce crime and enhance community safety through collaborative evidence-based crime prevention strategies. Mohamed Islam is a Youth Worker with the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa and is the coordinator of the Somali Youth Support Project, a program run out of the Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre.

Zahide Alaca recently graduated from Carleton University's Bachelor of Social Work Program with a perfect Grade Point Average (GPA). She also won the Governor General's Medal, awarded to students at the head of their graduating class, and the University Medal in Social Work, awarded to students with the highest academic standing in their program. In September, she will start her Master's in Social Work at Carleton.

Muslim Link asked Ms. Alaca to share the secret to her academic success.