As a first-generation colleges 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.

On the last day of the summer 2019 semester, the FSU College of Social Work hosted its summer graduation reception, honoring the of 23 BSW students, 93 MSW students, and one doctoral graduate (Erin King) graduation this semester.

Undergraduate social work student Faith Dekanter addressed attendees as the highlighted student speaker and graduate. From Jacksonville, Florida, Faith completed her degree in social work in three years along with a minor in child development.

Barbara Williams White (1943-2019) passed away on July 19, 2019. She was born February 26, 1943, in Macon, Georgia and was raised in Jacksonville, Florida. White completed her undergraduate studies at Florida A&M University in music education (BS, ’64). She went on to complete bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in social work at Florida State University (BSW, ’74; MSW, ’75; Ph.D., ’86).

Florida State University has launched a new online curriculum for Professional Certification in Trauma and Resilience.

As a macro-minded undergraduate social work student, Cassidy Lewis was on a lookout for opportunities to hone her skills at Florida State in 2018. With the guidance of BSW Program Director Pam MacDill, Cassidy connected with Ken Baldauf at the FSU Innovation Hub and learned about the opportunity with Design for America.

The Institute for Justice Research and Development (IJRD), housed within FSU’s College of Social Work, recently launched a unique Post-Master’s Fellowship designed to prepare the profession of social work to practice and research with criminal justice-involved adults and their families.

Relay races on Landis Green and jam sessions in the William Johnston Building are just a couple of the experiences dozens of middle school students from Tallahassee and the surrounding area participated in during a weeklong camp at Florida State University.

For the eighth year in a row, the FSU College of Social Work hosted its annual Arts and Athletics Summer Camp for two weeks in June.

The camp aims to foster positive youth development and give a glimpse of college life to middle school students, many of whom come from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

FSU College of Social Work Assistant Professor Michael Killian led a team of researchers in a comprehensive, systematic review of the literature on the reasons behind pediatric organ transplant patients not taking their medication. One of the vital steps for children receiving an organ transplant is consistently taking immunosuppressant medication that prevents and delays organ rejection and failure.

Dr. Terriyln Rivers-Cannon was named the 2019 National School Social Worker of the Year by the School Social Workers Association of America (SSWAA) for her contributions to the profession of school social work. She is not only the first school social worker from Georgia, but is the first African American and African-American woman to receive this national recognition.

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.