Community Action and Social Change Commencement 2024

Letter from the Dean

Dear CASC Graduates,

Congratulations! Today we gather to celebrate your graduation and the successful completion of Community Action and Social Change (CASC), the School of Social Work’s undergraduate minor. We are so proud of your dedication and accomplishments!

As students from colleges and schools across the university, you have enriched our School through your diversity of intellectual pursuits, and we have been inspired by your energy, enthusiasm and commitment. We are so grateful that you are part of our Michigan Social Work Community.

The skills you’ve learned in your pursuit of the minor will provide you with a strong foundation for a lifetime of service and community engagement, no matter where your future takes you. You have worked together to raise awareness of important social issues and have inspired others to create positive change. And while your undergraduate career has come to a close, I remind you that education is a lifelong endeavor: I encourage you to keep listening and learning.

On behalf of the School of Social Work, I wish you every success as you go out to make the change you want to see in the world. We look forward to following your journey.

Go Blue!

Beth Angell
Dean and Phillip Fellin Collegiate Professor of Social Work

Letter from Director

Dear CASC Class of 2024,

Congratulations on your graduation! This academic milestone is undoubtedly a significant achievement to fully embrace and celebrate! The CASC faculty and staff are immensely proud of all that you have accomplished during your time with us at the University of Michigan. As a student in this interdisciplinary minor, you have had the privilege of engaging with a myriad of perspectives and ideas spanning across various schools and colleges, encompassing over 80 different majors. Your involvement in CASC courses has enhanced meaningful relationships, stimulated profound discussions, and fostered the development of action projects with tangible positive impacts.

As an interdisciplinary minor, you have had the unique opportunity to engage with diverse perspectives and ideas from almost every school and college, and over 80 different majors. Through your participation in CASC classes, you have built relationships, engaged in deep discussions, and developed action projects that are making a positive impact.

Your contributions to campus and community endeavors are commendable, inspiring, and appreciated. You have spent countless hours facilitating dialogues, pushing for new opportunities, and challenging injustices. You have not only pushed yourself, but also your colleagues and the campus community, to engage more deeply with social justice and work towards creating a better world for all.

Graduation is an exciting time for reflecting on past achievements, and also heralds the beginning of a new chapter. At CASC, we encourage you to consider how you will continue to implement and leverage your acquired knowledge to promote positive change in the communities you will engage with post-graduation. As you may remember from your SW 305 class, "community" and "CASC" are both nouns and verbs. They are not just things, but also require action to develop and grow. We encourage you to think about how you will continue to CASC and use your learning, experiences, friendships, and relationships with faculty to launch your future work.

We eagerly anticipate witnessing your journey unfold and the impactful work you will undoubtedly continue to undertake within the diverse communities associated with CASC. Please know that we stand ready to support you in any capacity for as long as needed. As a member of the CASC community, encompassing both past and future cohorts, you are part of an alumni network comprising over 1200 individuals, underscoring the strength we derive from collective unity.

Once again, congratulations on your graduation, and we look forward to seeing all that you will accomplish in the future. Enjoy today, and take on tomorrow.

Forever, and always, GO CASC and GO BLUE!

Abigail H. Rowe-Eiler, LMSW, MSW, IMGCA-II
Director of Undergraduate Minor Programs
Clinical Associate Professor of Social Work

Graduation Program

Friday, May 3

Check-in
12:30 - 1:00 PM
School of Social Work Building – lower level, atrium
Opening Land Acknowledgement
1:00 - 1:05 PM
Sierra Schneidt
Welcome
1:05 - 1:10 PM
Katie Richards-Schuster
Associate Dean of Undergraduate Minor Programs & Strategic Initiatives
Opening Remarks
Abigail Eiler
Undergraduate Minor Program Director
Student Keynote Speech
Makayla Glenn, CASC Graduating Student & Media Coordinator
Student Performer
Emilia Vizachero, CASC Student
CASC Graduate Procession
Katie Richards-Schuster, Abigail Eiler, Diana Seales, Couper Tanko, Joe Galura and Trevor Bechtel
Closing
Couper Tanko, Program Manager
CASC Graduate Reception
Immediately following ceremony
ECC (room 1840) & outside courtyard seating

CASC Keynotes

Makayla Glenn CASC Graduating Student

Makayla Glenn is a graduating senior, majoring in biomolecular science with a minor in CASC. With a passion for community service, she has found fulfillment through CASC, where she developed a summer curriculum on oral hygiene for elementary students. She is actively engaged in campus outreach programs like America Reads, The Family Learning Institute, CSP and WISE RP. As CASC's social media coordinator, Glenn incorporates diverse perspectives and stories and will continue to do so on her journey as a dental student in Michigan.

Olga Lydia Luna CASC Graduating Student

Olga Lydia Luna graduated with a major in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience (BCN) and Spanish. Through her involvement in the CASC program and serving on the CASC board, she deepened her understanding of fostering positive change and the power of sharing stories and experiences. Passionate about advocating for mental health services in the Latinx community, Luna aims to facilitate conversations and promote healing, aspiring to return to her community in Detroit, Michigan, as a social worker dedicated to collective growth and well-being.

Emilia Vizachero CASC Graduating Student

Emilia Vizachero is a theatre artist and educator situated at the intersection of storytelling and social change. An actor, writer, fight coordinator and teacher, they are always working to activate audiences with the stunning force of humanity. Vizachero has staged plays to raise awareness for various social issues, devised performance pieces to call attention to misogyny, written one-acts exploring the queer experience, and performed in both new and classical works.

CASC Faculty & Staff

Katie Richards-Schuster Associate Dean for Undergraduate Minor Programs and Strategic Initiatives at the University of Michigan School of Social Work

Katie Richards-Schuster, AM, PhD, serves as the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Minor Programs and Strategic Initiatives at the University of Michigan School of Social Work. Dr. Richards-Schuster holds a doctorate in Social Work and Sociology from the University of Michigan and an AM from the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration. Her research expertise lies in understanding youth engagement strategies, exploring the contexts fostering youth participation, and assessing the impact of youth involvement on community development, utilizing participatory research and evaluation methods.

Abigail Eiler Clinical Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Minor Programs

Abigail Eiler, MSW, IMGAC, is Clinical Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Minor Program, which is home to the CASC Minor. With nearly 20 years as a licensed clinical social worker and educator in tribal and non-tribal communities across the United States and Canada. Eiler is committed to integrating social justice principles into her teaching and clinical work (i.e. youth suicide prevention/intervention, sport social work, and culturally-responsive care). She employs an anti-racist framework and prioritizes addressing Privilege, Oppression, Diversity, and Social Justice (PODS) theories and practices within her pedagogy and professional endeavors.

Joseph Galura CASC Undergraduate Minor Program Advisor and Adjunct Lecturer in Social Work, School of Social Work

Joseph Galura serves as an advisor/lecturer for the undergraduate minor in Community Action and Social Change, while also holding a lecturer position in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. With expertise in various fields including criminal justice, chemical dependency, and urban schooling, he has developed and taught service-learning courses such as Project Community, LUCY: The Lives of Urban Children and Youth, and Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies. As the former Director of Project Community and founding editor of the OCSL Press, Galura has made significant contributions to community service and learning initiatives at the University of Michigan's Edward Ginsberg Center.

Diana WasaAnung’gokwe Seales CASC Assistant Director and LEO Adjunct Lecturer in Social Work, School of Social Work

Diana Wasaanangokwe Seales is an experienced advocate for environmental justice, adept in project management and grassroots community organizing. She specializes in forging partnerships between environmental organizations, communities, and advocacy groups to address environmental health and justice issues. Beyond advocacy, Seales is deeply engaged in researching Indigenous perspectives on climate change, grassroots innovations, and Indigenous futurism, all aimed at promoting environmental justice and fostering social and ecological well-being.