At the end of the spring 2019 semester, the prestigious Garnet and Gold Scholars Society inducted one of its largest groups of new scholars. Since 2010, Garnet and Gold Scholars has encouraged student involvement and recognized undergraduate students who excel in the classroom and beyond in three of five areas: international experience, internship, leadership, research, and service.

In Spring 2019, 314 undergraduates were inducted from across campus, including four extraordinary social work students in the BSW program:

Kenneth Carson received recognition for his internship, service and international experiences. He completed his field placement internship with Bay County School District and completed more than 300 hours of community service assisting with recovery efforts in the Bay County area after Hurricane Michael. Kenneth’s international experiences were completed through his military experience in Europe and Asia, including deployments in Turkey, Germany, Italy and Japan.

Kathryn Casello was recognized for her leadership, research and internship engagement areas. Her leadership activities included her time as political affairs director for the Florida College Democrats executive board and as president of FSU Keeps Guns Off Campus. Working with Dr. Stephen Tripodi, she completed research with the assistance of the Social Work Undergraduate Research Assistantship on rehabilitative programs for women in the criminal justice system. And in her internship, she completed her field internship with the Leon County State Attorney’s Office. This summer, Kathryn will serve as a policy intern in Washington, DC with Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, an organization supporting families and loved ones of deceased military service members. She hopes to return to FSU to pursue her MSW in the Social Leadership Pathway.

Mary Green received recognition for her international experience, internship, and service. During her international experience, she traveled as an exchange student to Griffith University in Gold Coast, Australia in spring 2018. During her internship, she worked with Ability 1st, a center for independent living in North Florida, where assisted to promote their mission “to empower people with disabilities to live independently and enhance their quality of life. Her service experience was as a puppy raiser for Mirabelle, a future guide dog with the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind (Smithtown, New York). This summer she will volunteer with the faith-based, non-profit YWAM in Hawaii, work with young adults with special needs at the YoungLife Summer Camp, and return to China for a second time to teach English for a week. In the fall, she will return to FSU to begin graduate school for her Master in Social Work.

Elizabeth Murray was recognized for her service, internship and international experience. She logged more than 200 hours of community service working with Second Harvest of the Big Bend as a community ambassador. She completed internships with the FSU Career Center’s Experiential Recognition Program and her social work field experience at the Leon County Sheriff’s Office Victim Advocate Unit. Her international experience was the Alternative Spring Break working with the Programme for Adolescent Mothers in Grenada, East Caribbean. This summer she is staying in Tallahassee to serve as head counselor of the College of Social Work’s Arts and Athletics Camp that serves youth in the Big Bend Area, including youth that is socially and economically disadvantaged. And in the fall, she will return to FSU to complete her graduate pathway in both social work and criminology.