Students News

Nkemka Aniywo successful defended her dissertation "'We gon' be alright': Racism, Media, and the Sociopolitical Development of Black Youth." Her committee consisted of Daphne Watkins, Stephanie Rowley (co-chairs), Katie Richards-Schuster and Monique Ward. She has accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania.

The School of Social Work Queer Advocacy Coalition was awarded the Excellence in Student Leadership Award at the Spring 2019 Lavender Graduation. The award recognizes sustained and lasting commitment to LGBTQ communities. Lavender Graduation, sponsored by Spectrum,  is a celebration to honor LGBTQ graduates at U-M.

Paige Safyer defended her dissertation "M(other) Nurture: Exploring the Influence of Maternal Care on the Development of Infant Emotion Processing, Regulation, and the Emotional Brain."  Her committee consisted of Richard Tolman, Brenda Volling (co-chairs), Katherine Rosenblum, Julie Ribaudo and Ioulia Kovelman. She has accepted an Assistant Professor of Social Work position at Arizona State University. 

Kathryn Berringer, PhD candidate Social Work and Anthropology was awarded a Rackham Program in Public Scholarship. The scholarship supports research projects created in partnership with Rackham students and community organizations.

Berringer is working with the Ruth Ellis Center in Highland Park to produce a set of multimedia products documenting the history of the center serving LGBTQ youth in metro Detroit. She will be collaborating with the center's Youth Advisory Board.

Anthony Abshire, MSW candidate, has been selected to serve this summer as a Foster Youth Intern in Washington, D.C. The Foster Youth Internship Program is a summer congressional internship for young adults who have spent time in the foster care system. The program is sponsored by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, which works with the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Caucus. 
 

Berenice Castillo, Joint PhD student Social Work and Psychology was recently awarded the Jerald and Virginia Bachman Research Fellowship on Change in American Youth from the Institute for Social Research. The Bachman Fellowship is designed to support an outstanding emerging scholar who is conducting research to examine patterns and changes in the lifestyles and values of American youth and young adults.

Lindsey Crandle, Jill Schaefer and Ariel Kennedy (left to right), ‘18 MSW graduates were selected as 2019 Presidential Management Fellows Finalists. The Presidential Management Fellows Program is administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. The Presidential Management Fellows Program attracts to Federal service outstanding graduate students who have a commitment to excellence in the leadership and management of public policies and programs. The U-M School of Social Work had more finalists than any other school of social work.

Associate Professor Shawna Lee and Joyce Lee, PhD student, received a grant from the Fatherhood Research Practice Network (FRPN) for their project titled "Testing the Feasibility of an Interactive Mentor-Based Text Messaging Program to Increase Fathers’ Engagement in Home Visitation."