School of Social Work Summer 2022 Commencement
July 30, 10:00 AM ET
Hill Auditorium
825 N University Ave
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
The School of Social Work Commencement will be held in-person. Tickets are not required for graduates or guests. Please email ssw.oss@umich.edu 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.
Commencement Live Stream
Letter from the Dean
Dear Graduates,
Congratulations! We are delighted to celebrate your hard work and dedication together with your friends, families and loved ones.
You have earned your MSW during difficult and historic times, requiring focus, tenacity and determination. Your academic efforts and success have prepared you to become skilled and effective leaders, prepared to face the challenges of our field.
University of Michigan social work graduates have a reputation for their expertise, dedication and achievement. Today you join 16,000+ alumni who lead the field as policymakers, agency directors and foundation leaders, who improve lives as accomplished and effective social workers. We look forward to hearing how you apply your talents for the good of people and communities.
You are the leaders and best. On behalf of the Michigan Social Work community, I wish you every success as you reach out, raise hope and change society.
Go Blue,
Beth Angell
Dean and Professor of Social Work
Speakers
Keynote Speaker Mona Hanna-Attisha, MD, MPH, FAAP Director, Michigan State University and Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative
Mona Hanna-Attisha, MD, MPH, FAAP, is founder and director of the Michigan State University and Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative, an innovative and model public health program in Flint, Michigan.
A pediatrician, scientist, activist and author, Hanna-Attisha has testified four times before the United States Congress and was awarded the Freedom of Expression Courage Award by PEN America. She was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World and recognized as one of USA Today’s Women of the Century for her role in uncovering the Flint water crisis and leading recovery efforts and received the 2020 CDC Foundation’s Fries Prize for Improving Health.
A frequent contributor to national media outlets, including the New York Times and Washington Post, Hanna-Attisha has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, BBC and countless other outlets championing the cause of children in Flint and beyond. She is the founding donor of the Flint Child Health and Development Fund (flintkids.org).
With concentrations in environmental health and health policy, Hanna-Attisha received her bachelor’s degree and Master of Public Health degree from the University of Michigan. She completed her medical degree from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and her residency at Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit, where she was chief resident. She is currently a Charles Stewart Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health and an associate professor of pediatrics and human development at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine.
Hanna-Attisha is the author of the widely acclaimed and bestselling book “What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City.”
Student Speaker Audrey Montgomery
Audrey Montgomery (she/her) is a Global Social Work and Community Change dual pathway Master of Social Work candidate. She is an Ohio native and received her bachelor’s in social work with minors in Human Rights and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from The Ohio State University in 2020.
Throughout her undergraduate studies, she developed a deep passion to better understand and address the unique needs of refugee/immigrant populations. At Michigan, she continued to work within refugee/immigrant spaces in her field education, and engaged in research using community-based participatory approaches to build relationships with several refugee-led organizations. She is a current fellow for the Center for Disability Health and Wellness at Michigan Medicine, where she explores the impact of disability across intersecting marginalized identities.
After graduation, she plans to return to Ohio and continuously elevate her knowledge and skills in order to better work alongside refugee and immigrant communities. She is dedicated to relentlessly advocating for justice and equity for all.
Student Speaker Moise Moket
Moise Moket, (he/him) graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Social Work and a minor in sociology from Central Connecticut State University. Some of Moket’s undergraduate human services experiences include serving as: a peer counselor in a addiction and suicide prevention program, a community fundraising volunteer with United Way, an intern with a high school social worker and a community engagement intern with Community Movement Builders of Detroit.
Moket’s experience as a refugee, coupled with his passion for working with youth and their families, has motivated him to eventually become a refugee mental health service provider and refugee organizer. He plans to eventually pursue a PhD, start a school and create a scholarship fund that would help low-income students overcome the cost barrier to pursuing higher education.
Commencement Resources
View the commencement program
Photos from the Ceremony
