Alumni & Friends

As a Tallahassee native, Hannah Kinnon has always been proud of her hometown. “This city has a small-town community feel, coupled with the political and governmental opportunities a capital city provides,” she explained. “Attending FSU has given me an opportunity to experience a totally different side of my hometown.”

Kinnon began her undergraduate experience at Florida State University (FSU) as an exploratory major, searching for a service-oriented major that would allow her to help others. A friend described her own major in social work, and Kinnon was “captivated.” 

Martial arts and social work might not seem to have a lot of parallels at first, but social work alumna Janet Nelson (MSW, ’94) has made it her mission to bring concepts of self-defense to the social work and helping professional fields.

Throughout her time in social work education and the profession, Dr. Cynthia Turner knew the value of a support network and mentors. At each bend in the road, it was the relationships and support she found along the way that helped her harness her own abilities and to shape her career.

Florida State University launched the Student Resilience Project in 2018, but its impact is already long-lasting and wide-ranging.

The online toolkit, which teaches students stress reduction techniques and coping skills and provides an interactive platform for learning how to heal from trauma and improve mental health, started as a required course for new FSU students and has grown exponentially.

National Philanthropy Day (November 15, 2019) is a special day that recognizes the great contributions made by generous people through philanthropy to enrich their community. We want to thank our Friends of the College of Social Work and all the contributions made by our social work family through your time, talents and treasures. Here are some simple ways that you can give where you live!

As a first-generation college student, Dr. Brenda Jarmon was determined to go the limits to get the best education available to her. She recalls from an early age her parents and grandparents instilling in her the importance of education.

Florida State University has received a grant totaling nearly $1.2 million from the National Institute of Justice to evaluate the effectiveness of a comprehensive trauma-based re-entry program for young adult men.

 Second Harvest of the Big Bend’s Board of Directors announced October 2, 2019, that Monique Ellsworth (MSW, 2013) will become Chief Executive Officer of the organization. The appointment concludes an exhaustive search that began late this summer.

Ellsworth has served the last four years as CEO of CESC, Inc. in Tallahassee. She has developed a reputation as a community leader and dedicated professional in the areas of homelessness, poverty, and food insecurity.  

A team of Florida State University researchers has received a grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the resilience of older patients after undergoing open-heart surgery. 

The study, a first of its kind, will provide a comprehensive analysis of long-term survival benefits of psychological strengths, such as optimism and spirituality, in older adults with advanced heart disease.

Combining their talents and resources, IBM, Design for America at FSU, the FSU Innovation Hub, and the College of Social Work’s Center for the Study and Promotion of Communities, Families, and Children (CFC Center) held a “Design Sprint for the Future Child Welfare Workforce” event on September 19, 2019.