Stoops CFC Center Supports Excellence in Social Work with New Graduate Scholarship
The Stoops Center for Communities, Families, and Children (Stoops CFC Center) is proud to announce a new nonduty scholarship to recognize graduate students in the College of Social Work at Florida State University who demonstrate outstanding academic performance and a deep commitment to excellence in research and practice.
The scholarship aims to support graduate students who have worked with or are currently working the Stoops CFC Center and reflects the center’s mission to promote innovative, community-rooted solutions to complex social challenges.
This year, the application window opens on May 1, 2026. Learn more and apply on the center’s website.
Meet the Stoops CFC Scholarship’s First Recipient: Sanoop Valappanandi
The inaugural recipient of the Stoops CFC Center Scholarship is Sanoop Valappanandi, a doctoral student at the FSU College of Social Work whose research explores the intersection of climate resilience, environmental justice and community engagement.
Sanoop’s work focuses on the challenges under-resourced populations face in adapting to climate change. His scholarship integrates qualitative social network analysis and ethnographic methods to better understand and amplify community voices in resilience planning.
In 2023, Sanoop participated in a two-month, community-engaged climate futures project in Kerala, India, where he collaborated with local fishers and researchers. Using creative, arts-based approaches, the team worked with small-scale fishing communities to help them envision and communicate long-term adaptation strategies. The project’s purpose is to elevate frontline perspectives and promote inclusive resilience planning.
He is also a research contributor on a Stoops CFC Center-affiliated research project studying disaster preparedness among social workers in the Southeastern United States (US), funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The project focuses on the challenges posed by compound disasters, such as simultaneous hurricanes and pandemics. Through this project, Sanoop co-facilitated the “Resilient Systems in Crisis” webinar with Savannah Smith, the center’s assistant director, to disseminate findings to practitioners and multidisciplinary professionals across the Southeast US.
He has also contributed to a qualitative research project under the Stoops CFC Center examining disaster communication experiences among rural older adults in North Florida. Additionally, Sanoop is collaborating with the center’s staff on an interdisciplinary research project funded by NSF, led by Dr. Yushun Dong (Principal Investigator), Fire Science Innovations through Research and Education (FIRE).
Most recently, Sanoop was selected as a Social Work Grand Challenges Futures Fellow for 2025-2026, where he is co-developing a toolkit to support community-engaged foresight activities.
“Receiving this scholarship helps make my planned dissertation fieldwork possible and supports my commitment to advancing environmental justice and climate resilience for marginalized communities,” shared Sanoop.
The Stoops CFC Center is proud to support Sanoop Valappanandi as he continues advancing environmental justice and strengthening community resilience through his research. The center looks forward to recognizing future recipients who will carry this mission forward.