Hannah Grace Cicciari ’25 spent her summer discovering her calling. As a social work major, Cicciari always knew she wanted to advocate for others, but it was only when she received the opportunity to work at the Tiglin Ocean View Women’s Centre in Brittas Bay, Ireland, that she discovered her passion for helping people recovering from addiction. Cicciari’s discovery in Brittas Bay this summer was a direct result of her saying “yes” to God’s call.
Cicciari serves as an intern in Azusa Pacific University’s Office of Service and Discipleship (OSD). During her internship, she contacted many organizations the OSD partners with to send APU students on Global Engagement trips each year. As Cicciari began to learn more about these partners to better recruit students for these trips, she connected with the co-founder of Tiglin, a Christian Irish nonprofit that helps people overcome addiction, homelessness, and other issues. “After telling me about the work their organization does, he asked me about my passions and goals,” Cicciari said. “He suggested that I should apply for an internship with them.”
Cicciari had already applied and been accepted for multiple other internships for the following summer, including one in Uganda. She had previously served on a mission in Uganda and had a strong desire to return to see her old friends, but when she prayed about it, God led her in a different direction. “He told me I need to serve in Ireland, and since it didn’t make sense to me at that moment, it required more trust in Him,” Cicciari said. “God told me this is what He had planned for me. So I said yes.” It turned out Cicciari was not the only one praying about this. Two employees of Tiglin had been praying for a worker for the following summer—specifically praying for an American woman studying social work who would be finishing her junior year and entering her final year of college. Cicciari checked off all the boxes. After landing the internship, she finished out the school year and flew to Ireland at the beginning of May.
In her internship, Cicciari supervises the 10 women who reside at the Women’s Centre. The program the women take part in lasts 16 months and has four stages, with the first three taking place at the Centre before they move to transitional housing for the final stage. Tiglin’s model doesn’t just focus on removing the substance the women are using; rather, it focuses on uncovering the behavior that led to the substance use and replacing it with the truth of the Gospel while giving them practical skills to get a job and integrate back into society. Cicciari ensures each woman completes her daily tasks around the house and facilitates group sessions. She also walks alongside them individually, getting to know their stories and answering their questions. “Most of the women are more than twice my age, but many of them didn’t have a strong faith before they came here,” Cicciari said. “Tiglin gives them Bibles, and many of them have asked me questions about what they’re reading. I’ve had some of the best conversations explaining Scripture to them.”
Cicciari’s favorite aspect of her job is hearing the women’s stories during mealtime. Although some meals are silent, many are filled with lively conversations where Cicciari gets to know the women she’s serving during what she calls table ministry. “These little conversations over a table are what change people’s lives in small ways that build up over time into big changes,” Cicciari said. “I’ve learned so much about these women and life in general, things that I never would have known otherwise. Unfortunately, they’ve battled addiction, but that’s not all of who they are.” Cicciari said she has learned a lot about herself through these interactions. Although she knew nothing about addiction recovery before her internship, she now knows this is the field she wants to go into after graduation.
“I never would have picked it before, but God has given me this passion and vision for what’s to come.”
Cicciari looks forward to applying her knowledge from the internship into her classes as she begins her senior year. “You can read anything in a textbook, but once you actually have the experience, it’s a whole different game,” she said. Cicciari has thoroughly enjoyed her social work courses at APU, especially the mentorship from the experienced faculty. “We have small class sizes which is great because I’ve gotten to know my professors on a deeper level. They truly care about me as a person. I have nothing but good things to say about the social work faculty.” Her professor Shelly-Ann Dewsbury, MSW, was instrumental in helping Cicciari get academic credit for her internship in Ireland.
Cicciari’s passion for her work is rooted in her faith. She heard God’s voice for the first time on a mission trip as a teen. She was helping a woman experiencing homelessness when the woman broke down in tears. Cicciari wrapped her arms around the woman and heard God say, “This is it. This is what you’re going to do for the rest of your life.” She developed a passion for advocating for others’ needs, especially those experiencing significant challenges in life. “I truly believe that if Jesus were living in today’s society, He would be a social worker in the ways He advocated for, cared about, and simply did life with people,” Cicciari said. “I love social work because it feels like I’m the hands and feet of Jesus in the ways I get to serve others.”