Meet Our 2025 Doctoral Student Cohort
The College of Social Work is thrilled to welcome the newest cohort of doctoral students. Each doctoral student joins the university community with a unique background and sense of purpose to further advance social work scholarship and the people the field of social work serves.
Trechaun Anderson
From Tempe, Arizona, Trechaun Anderson spent most of her social work career working in the clinical field, where she worked with adults with serious and persistent mental illness. Her responsibilities included providing case management to improve symptom management skills, accessing community resources to promote independent living, and offering crisis intervention.
Anderson is also excited to be back in the classroom full-time after earning her MSW degree online and developing the skills that will help her towards her future plans. “I plan to develop my own reentry program for adults with serious mental illness,” she said, describing her long-term goals.
It was her experiences in the field that inspired Anderson’s research interests in finding effective interventions in reducing recidivism for adults dealing with severe mental illness. She felt drawn to the College of Social Work’s program because of the affiliation with the Institute for Justice Research and Development. “I found the institute while looking at doctoral programs and was really drawn to the way social work and criminal justice are intentionally studied together,” she explained. “I had not found that intentionality in other programs.”
Oluwaseun Jegede
Oluwaseun Jegede, also known as “Jay,” driven by a deep desire to support children and families navigating trauma and change, began her journey in Nigeria as a mental health counselor and researcher.
After earning her Bachelor of Education in Guidance and Counselling from Adekunle Ajasin University, Oluwaseun served as a Graduate Assistant Lecturer at Kebbi State College of Education through the National Youth Service program. During that time, she partnered with local organizations to provide mental health support, career guidance, and mentoring for first-generation college students. Her passion soon led her to found an organization offering youth mental health and educational support services, partnering with schools and youth centres to provide mental health counselling and special education support.
In 2021, Oluwaseun was awarded the prestigious Erasmus Mundus Scholarship, which enabled her to study at four European universities in Portugal, Lithuania, Latvia, and Slovakia, pursuing a master’s degree in social work. She also attended a summer school in Psychological Humanities and Narrative Medicine at the University of Trento, Italy, gaining new insights into the stories behind human resilience. Alongside her studies, she volunteered and completed internships at children’s crisis centers, women’s shelters, and family support organizations across Europe and Africa. “My MSW thesis on families affected by domestic violence deepened my commitment to strengthening interventions for children and families exposed to violence and to advancing domestic violence prevention,” she reflected.
Oluwaseun is a proud member of several professional and research associations, including the Counselling Association of Nigeria, the European Survey Research Association, the British Psychological Society, and the American Psychological Association (APA). “These memberships mean attending meetings, conferences, seminars, and roundtable discussions… being in spaces filled with people who share the same energy for learning and service has been one of my quiet places of growth,” she shared.
Oluwaseun’s diverse work and research experiences, including roles as a teaching and research assistant, school counsellor, behavioural coach, special educator, mental health therapist, and social worker, bridge her practical experience with her research. Now pursuing her PhD at FSU, Oluwaseun found her academic home in the College of Social Work, drawn by its rigorous training and research culture. “FSU stood out for its blend of strong coursework and hands-on research opportunities that align perfectly with my focus on child welfare, domestic violence, and mental health,” she said. “It’s an environment that prepares me for the faculty position I dream of.”
Through her graduate assistantship with the Florida Institute for Child Welfare (FICW), Oluwaseun continues to bridge the gap between research and practice. Her long-term vision is to expand her youth mental health and educational support organization in Nigeria into a full-fledged research institute. “Working with FICW is a dream come true,” she smiled. “Every day, it positions me closer to achieving my purpose, to create evidence-based programs that nurture children’s well-being and transform families.”
Priscilla Wilson
From Ghana to the global stage, Priscilla Wilson’s journey is a story of courage, purpose and unwavering commitment to transforming child welfare systems worldwide.
As the eldest of three siblings and the first in her family to earn a bachelor’s, master’s degree and now pursue a doctorate, Priscilla has shattered barriers and set an example of what determination can achieve. Her academic path began at the University of Ghana, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work, gaining a strong foundation in theory, ethics, and the complex interplay of societal systems.
Her passion for protecting vulnerable children deepened through internships with the STL Amandi Foundation and Cheerful Hearts Foundation. The latter experience inspired her undergraduate thesis, “The Challenge of Reintegrating Survivors of Child Trafficking into Ghana,” a topic that continues to shape her research focus today.
Priscilla’s pursuit of excellence led her to the highly selective European Joint Master's in Social Work with Children and Youth, where she studied on a full scholarship across four leading European universities, including Mykolas Romeris University (Lithuania), Rigas Stradins University (Latvia), the Catholic University of Ruzomberok (Slovakia) and ISCTE University (Portugal). These global experiences provided her with a deeper understanding of the widespread implementation of policies and interventions in global child protection that often do not adequately fit the cultural contexts of the communities they aim to help.
Determined to change this, Priscilla envisions research that bridges this gap. “My goal is to become a researcher whose work directly impacts child welfare practitioners and policymakers,” she says. “Every intervention should honor and leverage the inherent strengths of all communities.”
Her connection to Florida State University (FSU) began in 2017, when she collaborated with FSU students who were volunteering in Ghana. “I was impressed by their research skills and have aspired to join FSU ever since,” she shares. “FSU offers more than just academic rigor; it provides a community of mentors and scholars committed to research that shapes policy and practice. Here, I know I can grow into the intervention research expert I aspire to be while creating solutions that make a lasting impact.