By Kayla Del
Correspondent
Professor Sandy Gibson is a recognized leader in addiction counseling and education. Her dedication to the field recently earned her the prestigious Addiction Educator of the Year award from the National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors, an organization that represents over 100,000 addiction professionals in the U.S. and abroad.
This annual award is presented to an educator who has made an outstanding contribution to addiction education by positively impacting students and advancing the field through their work.
Gibson started her career as an addictions counselor in Alexandria, Virginia, where she worked with clients mandated by probation and parole. After completing her doctoral degree, she transitioned to research and teaching at Temple University. An encounter with faculty from the College led her to begin teaching as an adjunct, where she now holds a tenure track position.
Gibson’s courses are known for going beyond textbooks and PowerPoint presentations. She prioritizes personal interactions by bringing guest speakers — individuals and families touched by substance use and recovery — into her classroom.
A key aspect of her courses is providing students with real-world exposure, including field trips to Prevention Point in Philadelphia, the largest harm reduction center on the East Coast. Gibson’s students volunteered at the center before the pandemic.
“[The students] were making safe injection kits, safe smoking kits, safe sex worker kits, handing them out to people, handing out water and snacks,” Gibson said in an interview with The Signal. “They were walking the streets with staff with Narcan first aid bags and actually administering Narcan for people who were overdosing on the streets. You can’t do that in a classroom.”
Students would also work in the mailroom, helping displaced people collect their mail, and sit in on clinics focused on HIV, Hepatitis C testing and wound care.
In her teaching, Gibson pushes students to rethink their beliefs about addiction, often challenging misconceptions.
“There’s an enormous amount of misunderstanding because we have intentionally misinformed people for decades and decades and decades,” Gibson said.
She encourages an open environment where students feel comfortable exploring difficult topics, learning from one another and growing through meaningful discussions.
Gibson’s courses have had a profound effect on her students, many of whom leave her classes with a completely new outlook on addiction and recovery.
“People write these long, like two-paragraph-long things that [the course] changed the way they saw their family, and it changed their relationship and their whole schema on how they see the world,” Gibson said.
Her students have gone on to work in addiction centers across the country, crediting her classes with inspiring their career paths.
“I love when people write to me, ‘I got my first job, guess where I am?’ And they’re working at addiction centers,” Gibson said. “We need good people in these spaces.”
While Gibson focuses on addiction education at the graduate level, the College’s Collegiate Recovery Community, also known as the CRC, offers support to undergraduates, providing a safe space for students in recovery.
"The CRC addresses the feelings of loneliness that many students in recovery feel by providing an amazing community of like-minded people," said Jillian Perez, senior psychology major and CRC executive vice president.
Beyond offering a sense of community, the CRC plays a vital role in breaking the stigma around addiction and mental health on campus.
"Students often struggle to reach out for help due to the stigma," said Perez. "The biggest reason I think students are hesitant to reach out is fear."
The CRC hosts tabling events several times a year where students can write cards for individuals at Princeton House. The CRC also partners with Savage Sisters to provide overdose reversal training, educating students on current drug trends and how to use Narcan effectively.
Through advocacy, education and peer support, the CRC plays an important role in empowering students to seek help and raising awareness at the undergraduate level.
Gibson expressed gratitude to the past and present students who nominated her with letters of support, some dating as far back as a decade ago. With this honor, she looks forward to continuing her work and aspires to become more involved in shaping national drug policy.
“I’m just going to keep on keeping on and doing what I do,” Gibson said. “It just makes my heart so warm. I just love it so much already that I can’t imagine loving it more as a result of getting the award, but it’s very validating.”
