Bilal Abbas, Mpa, Lmsw is a Community Technician at Bowery Residents' Committee. He possess expertise in case management, mental health, crisis intervention, customer service, social services and 18 more skills. Colleagues describe him as "I have known Bilal Abbas in a professional capacity, as I was his professor during the Spring 2014 semester at Middlesex County College. He took my Clinical Mental Health Counseling in Community and Agency Settings class, a required course for the Addictions Studies certification. The course emphasized the historical and ethical aspects of the counseling profession, diagnosis and the counseling process, and working with specific populations. Bilal brought a maturity to the classroom that resonated with the other students. He always came prepared to discuss the material and proactively sought out mew methods and models of treatment that he would eventually be able to use in his future work. Bilal typically would listen to other’s comments before respectfully offering his own. His contributions to the class discussion could be characterized by his inquisitiveness, commitment and generosity. Bilal brought a perspective to the class discussion that challenged his classmate’s stereotypes, broadened their perspective on particular topics, and advanced the overall understanding of the issues being considered in the course. Overall, this was an invaluable contribution during the semester. On the occasion we have been in contact since he studied with me, Bilal has continued to exhibit both curiosity and determination to more broadly understand the human condition. He is an individual who refuses to settle for doing only what needs to be done. Rather, he is only satisfied when he is confident that he has performed to the absolute best of his ability. This was definitely an attitude that resonated with Bilal’s classmates and, I suspect, does also with his colleagues within the field of Social Work. " and "Mr. Abbas is bright, energetic, empathetic and hard working. I was fortunate to observe these qualities while he was a student in my classroom. Since then, he has accomplished a lot and has the potential to help many people in the future. Mr. Abbas is truly an asset to any organization or cause. I wish him continued success."