Rene Olate

"People come to the Brown School because we turn research into action. We put what we know into practice. The work is challenging. It's practical, scientific, social, and political."

Undergraduate InstitutionUniversidad de Concepcion, Chile

Undergraduate MajorSocial Work

Other DegreesMaster of Social Science
Master of Social Work

Research focusYouth Volunteerism in Latin America

Although his parents wanted him to study engineering or law, Rene's experience with the social and political climate in his home country of Chile gave him a different idea. His teaching, research, and development work in Chile and Nicaragua led him to the U.S., and ultimately to the Brown School.

"Social work is a values-based profession. For me, social justice is at the core of social work, and justice is a core value of society. These values are very coherent in social work, probably the most coherent of any profession.

The School has one of the warmest environments of all the schools of social work in this country. No issue with egos. The faculty are accessible.

"The School is driven by its people. The contacts you make here are amazing. I am proud to say that I have friends everywhere in the world."

Click here to learn more about Rene and his research.

for questions about this web site, please contact