Alumni & Friends

Director of the Institute for Family Violence Studies (IFVS), Karen Oehme, admits that the social distancing and other effects of the pandemic have posed a challenge for the institute, which highly emphasizes teamwork. Collaboration has continued, but the context has shifted to virtual connections and the resurgence of phone calls and conferences.  She and her team are grateful that federal work-study students, graduate assistants and interns are still allowed to work on institute projects from afar.

As the COVID-19 pandemic gained a foothold in the US and colleges and universities were moving online, Carol Campbell Edwards, an assistant teaching professor at the FSU College of Social Work, was inspired to develop a Spring 2020 webinar series that would promote virtual engagement for social work students who were suddenly disconnected and isolated.

Recent graduate R. Lane Forsman was able to successfully defend his dissertation on February 28th before the U.S. had seen the full impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Despite all the current uncertainties surrounding the pandemic, Lane is excited to join the faculty of Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIUE).

His dissertation titled, “Queer College Sexual Violence: The interaction of gender identity and sexual assault on campus” (Major professor: Lisa Schelbe) highlights his research interest in LGBTQ+ issues and sexual assault.

The FSU Office of Research Development organized its eleventh Collaborative Collison event to bring faculty from various departments across the university to work together on projects that specifically target the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Florida State University welcomed 316 new students into the prestigious Garnet and Gold Scholars society for the spring 2020 semester, the largest class of inductees since the program's inception. Inductees were honored through a virtual reception due to COVID-19. Eight recent College of Social Work graduates were among the 316 undergraduate students inducted into the society. 

Dr. Shalay Jackson has made it her mission to engage her students in the content and courses she teaches, which later translates to competence in the social work field. This approach is especially important for courses like her Social Work Practice with Communities and Organizations course (SOW4360) as excitement and enthusiasm for community engagement is imperative for immersion and appreciation of the coursework. She received a 2020 FSU Community Engaged Teaching Award for her community-centered instructional approach. 

Growing up with a parent working in the social services can often instill an interest in helping others, but the Beecher family have a special familial dedication to the service of others. With a mother serving on the civilian side for the US military with Family Advocacy and Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR), the family grew up in Okinawa, Japan with exceptional interest and understanding of social issues.

 The current Coronavirus pandemic has drastically increased the need for resilience interventions, but social distancing and isolation have made connecting a challenge. When Dr. Machelle Madsen Thompson first heard about the effect the pandemic was having in the beginning, she knew she wanted to help.  She made it her personal mission to help address trauma and resilience in ways that improved the lives of children and families.

Although Alumna Jovita Woodrich (MSW, 2007) possesses the heart of a social worker, her journey to the profession was not a direct path. She enjoyed serving others and observed similar behaviors in her parents, who were originally from Guyana in South America and consistently lent a helping hand to others during her childhood. “They grew up in a community where everyone helped everyone else. Even if you had very little,” she described, “you give a little of yourself to someone else. You didn’t think about it separately from your existence.

Raised by parents who taught business and economics, Sherry Jackson had her sights set on a degree in business as she set out for college. But when she arrived at Florida State University as an undergraduate, she quickly realized her passion focused more on the social and behavioral sciences. With a degree in cultural anthropology under her belt, she decided to stay at Florida State because of how much she enjoyed her undergraduate experience and to pursue an MSW because of the national reputation of the FSU College of Social Work.