Students News

Kaitlin Ward, Joint Doctoral Program in Social Work and Psychology, has successfully defended her dissertation entitled “Ecological Influences of Parental Discipline Behaviors and Child Outcomes among Families in Low-and Middle-Income Countries.” Her committee consisted of Shawna Lee and Andy Grogan-Kaylor.

Ward has accepted a position at Google.

The Child Welfare Student Association visited the Michigan state capitol on April 25 to mark National Child Abuse Prevention Month. The students listened to inspirational speakers, networked with legislators and took a tour of the capitol building.

MicroMasters student and returned Peace Corps volunteer Shannon Lynn Carter has received a Weiser Emerging Democracies Fellowship for Incoming Graduate Students. Emerging Democracies Fellowships are awarded to exceptional incoming graduate students who focus their work on emerging democracies, past or present. 

“It aligned with everything I had done as Youth Development Volunteer serving in Ukraine. I went into the Peace Corps knowing I wanted to develop as a person. I knew I had to go through something very difficult. I did not expect that, in the process, I would receive the Weiser Fellowship. I am extremely grateful now to be working for causes greater than I could have ever imagined and doing something that I feel is so meaningful. And I am grateful to be completing my second master's at the U-M School of Social Work.”

Carter served in Ukraine from September 2017 to when she was evacuated in March 2020 due to Covid-19. From Flint, Michigan, she took advantage of the statewide lockdown to complete our online MicroMasters program in under 12 weeks and deferred until she completed her first master's in Project Management at the Peace Studies and International Development Center at the University of Bradford Rotary Peace Center, England. She will start her MSW on campus in the fall with the intention of returning to Ukraine post-war. 

“What's happening in Ukraine is horrific,” she says. “My Ukrainian friends live-stream it. They don't know if they're going to make it the next day.  Paired with my Cyrillic linguistic skills and graduate-level credentials of social work and project management, I will be equipped with the tools to return to Ukraine and continue building on the democratic ideology that had originally inspired the creation of the U.S Peace Corps in the 1960s.” 

Apart from receiving the Weiser Emerging Democracies Fellowship, Carter has also received the Paul D. Coverdell  Fellowship, Rotary Peace Fellowship, and the Bill Huntly Fellowship.

The Association of Black Social Work Students (ABSWS) has received the Michigan Difference Professional Organization of the Year Award.  

“ABSWS has an ongoing presence at the University of Michigan and to continue the legacy, it is critical that their accomplishments be recognized,” said Clinical Assistant Professor Daicia Price.  “ABSWS has been an integral part of preparing for new accreditation requirements that involve anti-racism and social justice as a necessary part of the graduate curriculum. One of the amazing things about this group is that they have been using the curriculum and professional competencies to engage in and implement their strategic plan. They have been intentional about building collaborative networks and been creative and innovative about ways to combine the professional and social experience of social workers.”

The current ABSWS officers include: 

• Blair Baker - President
• Alex Black - Vice President
• J’Melia Richardson - Secretary & Social Coordinator
• Quentin Harris - Parliamentarian

Youth Engagement through Cannabis Prevention and Employment Training

Faculty Member: Associate Professor Cristina Bares

Community Partner: Kartav Patel, Manager of Youth Services, Southwest Economic Services

Welcome to the Motor City: Exploring Refugee Resettlement Among Afghan Refugees and Beyond

Faculty Member: Assistant Professor Ashley Cureton

Community Partner:  Shadin Adityeh, Director of Employment and Economic Empowerment Programs, Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County and Detroit

Tuxedo Project Community Map

Faculty Member: Lecturer Maureen Okasinski

Community Partner: Rose Gorman, Executive Director, The Tuxedo Project

Enacting Action Goals Informed by HOMES Survey: Services and Options for LGBTQ+ Older Adults in Metro Detroit

Faculty Member: Associate Professor Beth Glover Reed

Partner: Angela Gabridge, Executive Director, Sage Metro Detroit

MSW/MPH student Brandon Bond was recognized as a 2022 George Orley Student Mental Health Advocate. Bond is a mental health advocate on a global scale. His diverse education background and international experience ignites his passion for helping organizations and policy makers take a humanitarian, equitable and culturally-inclusive approach to mental healthcare. The George Orley Student Mental Health Advocate Award recognizes outstanding student leadership in the area of campus mental health.

MSW/MPH student Brandon Bond is one of just two students named to the U-M Presidential search committee. Throughout his time at U-M, Bond has served in various leadership roles to advocate for student interests including the VP of Student Life Advisory Board, Dean of Students Advisory Board, Office of Enrollment Management Advisory Board, Advancing Public Safety at U-M Task Force, and President of the Public Health Student Assembly. He is dedicated to ensuring that the diversity of student needs is reflected in the selection of the next U-M President.

"Considering that this is such a huge undertaking, which will impact the future of the University of Michigan and our overall community, my hope is that our community will become and remain active in the search process!  A few of ways our community can contribute and advocate are to 1) nominate a potential Presidential candidate through the executive search firm portal, 2) attend a virtual listening session to provide input on their expectations for the new president and perspectives about the ideal candidate profile, and 3) stay informed on the process by staying up to date via the Regents website."

Bond received his undergraduate degree from U-M with a double major in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience (BCN) and International Studies, and a minor in CASC — the School’s Community Action and Social Change undergraduate minor. In a 2020 interview in Ongoing, Bond said

MSW students Deena Etter, Madeline Loss, Courtney Marsden and Nevo Polonsky have been selected to the Presidential Management Fellowship (PMF) Program. Administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the program attracts outstanding graduate students who have a commitment to excellence in leadership and management of public policies and programs.