Alumni & Friends

On Friday, April 29th the College of Social Work celebrated the graduation of 196 graduates including 57 BSWs, 137 MSWs and doctoral graduates Jessica Bagneris and Aidan Ferguson. The drop-in event was held in the College of Social Work lobby and classrooms featuring refreshments, commemorative items and photo opportunities for graduates and their guests along with faculty and staff.

Juanita Martinez found her purpose through her battle with depression, which began a journey of healing and self-discovery. More than 50% of people in their lifetime will experience a mental health challenge, according to the Center for Disease Control, and the diagnosis still carries a stigma.

Ohio State University (OSU) has appointed Dr. David A. Jenkins (PhD, 1992) as the dean of the College of Social Work. Jenkins’ appointment is effective July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2027.

In his Social Policy and Programs course, adjunct professor and doctoral candidate Christopher (Chris) Collins worked with undergraduates on projects in the Tallahassee community.

“Students facilitated community-wide projects in support of local non-profits,” explained Chris. “They were tasked with identifying a piece of social policy legislation that impacted a disenfranchised community and to develop an assistance campaign educating the public on the bills.”

This year, Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis and the Florida Division of Emergency Management announced the appointment of Sara LaTorre Newhouse (BSW, 2010; MSW, 2011) as the state disaster recovery mental health coordinator.

Youth Guidance, an established non-profit organization founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1924, offers a school-based guidance program to support the mental health and social-emotional needs of students. Today, Youth Guidance (YG) has programs in seven different states helping young people overcome obstacles so they can focus on succeeding in school and life.

The FSU Alumni Association recognized Alexa Cronin Sobeck as a 2021 Notable Nole, a program that recognizes outstanding accomplishments of FSU graduates 35 years old or younger that are exceptional contributors to their profession, community, and society or the university.

Dr. Zhe He (School of Information), Dr. Michael Killian (College of Social Work), and their research team recently received a $395,200 R21 grant from the National Library of Medicine of National Institutes of Health for a project entitled “Prediction of Health Outcomes and Adverse Events in Pediatric Organ Transplantation in Florida”.

Dr. Shalay Jackson joined the FSU College of Social Work faculty in 2018, coming back to Florida State where her interest in social work began. Dr. Jackson recalls, “I was challenged, supported and inspired by a compassionate community of faculty, staff, students and alumni” while receiving her BSW (2006) at Florida State and later honing her skills while earning an MSW from the University of Michigan.