School of Social Work Spring 2025 Commencement

The School of Social Work Summer Commencement for Master of Social Work students will be held in person at The Power Center for the Performing Arts and livestreamed on the SSW website. Power Center doors will open for guests and graduates starting at 12:30 PM.

A light reception will be held in the Power Center Lobby immediately following commencement.

Please email [email protected] with any questions.

The SSW Commencement will be livestreamed on this page and on the front page of the U-M School of Social Work website.

 

Keynote Speaker Dr. Leona Tate

On November 14, 1960, six years after separate Black and white schools were ruled unconstitutional, Leona Tate became one of three six-year-old girls to integrate McDonogh No. 19 School, a white-only public elementary school in New Orleans’ historic Ninth Ward. The integration of New Orleans public elementary schools marked a major focal point in the history of the American Civil Rights Movement.

In 2009, Tate established the Leona Tate Foundation for Change, Inc. (LTFC) to purchase McDonogh 19, the school she, Tessie Prevost and Gail Etienne integrated. Under Tate’s leadership, the organization has provided free summer camps, after-school tutoring, adult literacy, Christmas toy drives and a monthly food pantry. The foundation also staffed the Lower Ninth Ward Living Museum, a free community museum dedicated to the history of the historic Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood.

In 2020, LTFC and development partners renovated the historic McDonogh 19 campus, which reopened as the Tate, Etienne, and Prevost (TEP) Center in 2022. It is a mixed-use development dedicated to the history of New Orleans Public School desegregation, civil rights and Black life. Tate's mission for the center is to create a safe space and community anchor where the public can learn, support and train for anti-racism activism and social restorative justice.

In 2023, Tate received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from St. Thomas Christian University and Macalester College in recognition of her service to the New Orleans community and beyond.

Tate’s love for community anchors the mission of LTFC and the TEP Center. She also values quality time with her family. She is a mother of three, a grandmother of 12 and a great-grandmother of eight.

Student Speaker Xiaoya Geng

Xiaoya Geng (she/her) was inspired to pursue social work by her mother, an exceptional social worker who is dedicated to serving vulnerable populations in rural areas and who guided her into this remarkable profession. Geng grew up in China and came to the United States to pursue higher education, earning a Bachelor of Science in psychology and sociology from the University of Pittsburgh. As a student in the Program Evaluation and Applied Research pathway, she recently completed her internship at the Biosocial Methods Collaborative at the Institute for Social Research. There, she contributed to projects including community-based research to improve participants' research experience and co-parenting studies in simulated home environments. With the valuable training received in this program, along with volunteer experiences working with children in different regions, Geng developed a passion for improving parent-child relationships across cultural contexts. This interest has guided her research on interventions for better child outcomes. After graduation, Geng plans to apply her social work values and research skills to advocate for more equitable futures for children by working collaboratively with communities, with aspirations to pursue a PhD in the future. Geng is deeply grateful for the unwavering support of her families, friends, peers, colleagues and mentors who have enriched her educational experience and professional development.

Student Speaker Arushi Rana

Arushi Rana is a dedicated social worker, researcher and advocate for equity and inclusion. Whilst pursuing her MSW degree, she has focused on community change, program management and social justice initiatives. With extensive experience in human services, Rana has worked on projects addressing 2SLGBTQIA+ advocacy across campus, gender-based violence in higher education and implementing suicide prevention strategies in Botswana. She has led initiatives to foster inclusive campus environments and has been instrumental in engaging diverse communities through research, policy development and direct support. She is the 2025 Michigan Difference Student Leadership Award recipient for the category of Social Change. After graduation, she plans to continue her work in equitable design thinking and program development, leveraging her expertise to drive systemic change in higher education and community organizations.

 

Photos from the Ceremony