Social work students celebrated at Black History in the Making event
In 1983, Daryl Dance, Ph.D., distinguished scholar of African American and Caribbean literature at Virginia Commonwealth University, established Black History in the Making. Black history in the Making is an event centered around the achievements of African American students around cultural competency, academic rigor and community service. To date, more than 550 students have been recognized by over fifty departments and organizations.
The VCU School of Social Work is pleased to announce that two social work students will be celebrated during the 33rd annual Black History in the Making celebration on February 17, 2016. Jacqulyn Washing, a current B.S.W. student, and Ashley Waddell, B.S.W. alumna and current M.S.W. student, have both illustrated stellar academic records, a history of community service and a dedication to cultural awareness.
Jacqulyn Washington
Washington is a student in the Virginia Commonwealth Univeristy Bachelor of Social Work Program and anticipates graduating in May 2016. Her community service ranges from academic mentorship of youth from disadvantaged neighborhoods to co-facilitating an inter-agency workgroup aimed at housing youth experiencing homelessness. Washington is the president of the Association of Black Social Workers at VCU. In 2015, she was selected as a Virginia Governor’s Fellow and worked with the first lady of Virginia, Dorothy McAuliffe, to address food security concerns. She is a student ambassador for the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work & Policy and a School of Social Work federal policy fellow. After graduation, Washington plans to address affordable housing concerns and increase the use of service-based housing strategies for under-resourced neighborhoods.
Ashley Waddell
Waddell is an advanced standing student in the Virginia Commonwealth University Master of Social Work Program, clinical practice track. She earned a Bachelor of Social Work from VCU in May 2015. Waddell is committed to advancing the ideals and ethics of the social work profession. Currently, Waddell serves as the vice president of the Association of Black Social Workers at VCU, an M.S.W. peer mentor, a student representative for the School of Social Work Assembly and the Programs Committee and is an active member of the Black Lives Matter Student-Faculty Collective. Waddell is a member of the honor society of Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Alpha Honor Society for Social Work and Omicron Delta Kappa, the national leadership honor society. She is a fellow in the 2016 cohort of the CSWE Minority Fellowship-Youth for Master’s Students where she will focus on clinical training centered for direct services to children, adolescents and transition-age youth. After graduation, Waddell plans to practice as a school social worker while earning her Licensed Clinical Social Worker credential so that she may provide therapeutic services to underrepresented students in grades K-12 experiencing learning and behavioral challenges.
Photo (left to right): Dary Fraser, VCU School of Social Work assistant professor in teaching; Ashley Waddell, VCU School of Social Work M.S.W. student; Jacqulyn Washington, VCU School of Social Work B.S.W. student; and Stevara Clark Johnson, VCU School of Social Work student success adviser
Categories Alumni, Awards and honors, Community, Students