The Florida State University College of Social Work celebrated its 2019 Distinguished Graduate Award recipients and social work scholarship recipients at a dinner at the FSU Alumni Association on Thursday, Sept. 26.
Each year, the event celebrates the contributions of students, alumni, and donors to the College of Social Work, social work education and the profession.
Since 1983, the FSU Multidisciplinary Evaluation and Consulting Center (FSU MDC) has offered services including diagnostic, evaluation and consultation services for children identified as having complex medical, education, emotional, and behavioral problems. Additionally, the FSU MDC offers services and consultation to parents, teachers, school and district personnel, providers and professionals.
Ashton Sanchez has always been a social worker at heart. After earning her bachelor’s degree in sociology from Florida State University in 2016, she began working in child welfare in Miami, Florida. She was assigned to a human trafficking unit working with minors who were victims of human trafficking.
LaShundra Williams knows first-hand what it is to experience hardship. Her own story included experiences with family struggling with mental health and substance use issues, the foster care system, and overcoming her struggles with trauma, abuse, and neglect. She saw both sides of the child welfare system, the good and the bad, and knew what it was like to be dismissed as just another child to fall through the cracks.
Two Florida State University faculty members have been awarded a grant to study health outcomes after pediatric organ transplants.
Michael Killian, an assistant professor with the FSU College of Social Work, and Zhe He, an assistant professor with the FSU College of Communication and Information, were awarded the grant by the University of Florida Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) Precision Health Initiative Pilot Project.
Social work student Libby Burgess was wrapping up her Bachelor of Social Work degree this year when she realized she was three credits short to graduate. BSW Program Advisor Zoey Zeitlin suggested a Directed Individual Study (DIS), individual or group work outside the classroom as Libby was already deeply involved in the local community.
The Florida Institute for Child Welfare, housed in the Florida State University College of Social Work, is launching a new resource to inform and support the child welfare workers of Florida.
The podcast series, “Child Protection Caseworker Support,” starts Monday, Aug. 26. The eight-episode series will feature the institute’s director Jessica Pryce, who will discuss issues facing frontline child welfare professionals and offer guidance on a variety of issues pertinent to the field.
In 2013, Alumna Jocelyne (Josie) Fliger (MSW, 2015) did her first internship during her MSW program at FSU College of Social Work with the Tallahassee Senior Center, which offers activities and opportunities for senior citizens living in Tallahassee, Florida. Here she has introduced the idea of active living for seniors, a concept contrasting a societal focus on abnormal aging.
Doctoral Candidate Erin King graduated this summer with her doctoral degree in social work from the FSU College of Social Work. She successfully defended her dissertation titled “An exploration of the effects of primary and secondary trauma on child welfare workers’ mental health and commitment to the field” on June 25, 2019. In the fall, Dr.
As a first-generation college student, Samiah Bansal has experienced a wide range of new challenges, along with innumerable opportunities, in the university setting. One of her biggest dreams was to study abroad, but the challenge of funding such an adventure seemed insurmountable until she followed the example of other FSU students.
“I decided to apply for the Gilman Scholarship because I witnessed many student leaders at FSU become Gilman Scholars. It motivated me to apply,” she explained.
