May Graduation Reception Celebrates Spring 2019 Graduates

On the morning of May 3, 2019, the FSU College of Social Work celebrated its Spring Class of 2019 graduates at the annual spring graduation reception in the Oglesby Union Ballrooms. The event welcomed 49 BSW and 58 MSW graduates and their guests for a special ceremony, which included Keynote Speaker Jeff Binkley and Student Speaker Kathryn Casello. Dean Jim Clark presided over the affair, calling forth program directors to announce winners of the College’s annual awards including:

• Elizabeth J. Piccard BSW Student of the Year: Kathryn Casello
  “Kathryn is an accomplished student and citizen” who “exemplifies all that we can be proud of when thinking of the next generation of social workers who are passionate about their work and their profession,” expressed in her nomination letter.
   
• Patricia V. Vance MSW Student of the Year: Tatiana Loayza
  “Tatiana is an outstanding representative of the College of Social Work whose warmth, humility, and commitment to service will positively impact clients, communities, and organizations through her career,” her nominator wrote. Her contributions to FSU included her role as tutoring and lab coordinator at the Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement as well as her roles as chapter advisor for SISTHUS, Inc. and the Central American Student Association.
   
• Doctoral Students of the Year: Daniel Dunleavy and MaKenna Woods
  “Dan has always been a friendly, helpful member of our community and an excellent teacher, but of late he has begun to peak professionally in ways that are truly impressive,” his nominator wrote. Dan teaches multiple courses and was awarded the 2018-2019 College of Social Work Doctoral Teaching Fellowship. He has presented at numerous conferences, ran an opioid misuse training and assisted with the planning and execution of the Poverty in America conference.

  “I am thoroughly impressed with her progress in our doctoral program, her scholarship, and her impact on her students and the larger community,” her nominator wrote of Makenna Woods. “While many of us focus largely on our scholarship, Makenna continues to practice, doing grueling and difficult clinical practice with victimized students at FSU.” Makenna works with the FSU Victim Advocate Program as well as on grants and projects with the Florida Institute for Child Welfare.
   

• Dianne F. Harrison Dissertation Proposal of the Year: Erin King
  Doctoral student Erin King received this award for her dissertation titled “An Exploration of the Effects of Primary and Secondary Trauma on Child Welfare Workers' Menalth Health and Commitment in the Field.”
   
• Professor of the Year: Dr. Shalay Jackson
  “Although it is her first year teaching at FSU, she shows strong teaching skills and is able to answers questions asked by students,” her nomination letter read. And that, “she shows that she truly cares about her environment and the people in it.”
   
• Field Educator of the Year:  Ariana Bautista
  “I am very thankful to have been able to learn from such a passion-filled social worker and change agent,” wrote her nominator. Ariana Bautista is a two-time graduate of the FSU College of Social Work (MSW, ’15; BSW ’13) and is a licensed clinical social worker with Bay Pines VA Healthcare System working with veterans in the area of addictions.
   
• Institute for Family Violence Studies Director’s Award: Michelle Altemus
  “Each year, the IFVS recognizes the person who contributed the most to our projects. This year’s recipient personifies the multidisciplinary approach. She’s earned both an MSW and MBA, which comes in real handy when working with people in the non-profit worked,” the Institute’s Director Karen Oehme had this to say about Michelle. “She has great skills, but she’s very modest, unassuming. At the same time, she possesses a fierce mind.”

Student Speaker, Kathryn Casello an undergraduate student graduating with a double major in social work and political science, spoke about how the College’s tagline “Change a life. Start with yours.” was a motto to live by.

“When I came to Florida State, I had already seen things in my community that inspired me to be a voice for change,” Kathryn said in her speech. “Students are here because we want to use what we have to make other’s lives better. We’ve identified something inside us that demands we dedicate our careers to empowerment. Through the guidance of our faculty and staff, the rigor of our coursework, and the requirement that we contribute to our community and complete field experiences before we graduate, the FSU College of Social Work has equipped us with the tools and the training to make an impact…We are at the forefront of social progress for our generation, we have the conversations and are doing the work that needs to be done to ensure a better future for everyone.”

The final remarks before the recognition of graduates were made by Jeff Binkley, founder, and CEO of Assessment Valuation Advisors and Former Advisory Director for Transactions and Business Analytics, LLP Deloitte.

“Your educational experience and the professional career you are about to embark on is based on a commitment, a commitment to address the needs of others at the most difficult and vulnerable time in their lives. There can’t be a higher calling,” he said during his speech.

He emphasized the importance for society to operate at a higher level with an ethical and moral structure higher than what exists today. Binkley stressed the need for us all to work together toward a culture based on love, including the rejection of the concept of “the other” when referring to fellow human beings that is the root of hatred and violence plaguing society.

Jeff and his wife Margaret Binkley founded Maura’s Voice, an organization focused on addressing violence, mental health, gun safety and overall hate in society. Maura’s Voice was founded in memory of their daughter, Maura Binkley, an FSU senior who was killed along with FSU faculty member Dr. Nancy Van Vessem in the Tallahassee yoga studio shooting on November 2, 2018.

“You have the challenge, the opportunity day in and day out to put the words, to put the theory, to put the concept into practice, into action. Again, could there be a higher calling,” Binkley concluded.

Quoting Jane Addams, he concluded, "'Action is indeed the sole expression for ethics.’…That’s what you are stepping out to do. That’s it. That’s your charge. It’s an action in the practical realm outside these walls is really the greatest manifestation of love, because it is a commitment to care for your brothers and sisters. As you step out today into the next phase of your journey, know that we support you, know that we respect you, know that we applaud you.”