School of Social Work

No. 28 M.S.W. Program in the U.S.

V-C-U B-S-W student Oscar Kemp wears a blue suit and blue shirt and stands in front of a brick building on the Monroe Park Campus. Behind him are white steps and black iron railing and a tree with red and orange foliage.
Oscar Kemp, on VCU’s Monroe Park Campus, is the first B.S.W. student to serve on the board of directors of the Council on Social Work Education. (Tom Kojcsich, University Marketing)

VCU School of Social Work B.S.W. student Oscar Kemp is helping make history as the first undergraduate student representative to serve on the board of directors of the national accrediting agency Council on Social Work Education.

Kemp, from Danville, Virginia, will be the B.S.W. representative, while M.S.W. student Wendy Hernandez-De La Cruz of California State University Monterey Bay will be the graduate representative.

“I am so glad to welcome Wendy and Oscar, two outstanding students, to CSWE’s leadership and know that their unique perspectives will help our organization better serve students and faculty at accredited programs,” says Saundra Starks, Ed.D., chair of the CSWE board.

Kemp’s resume was already lengthy and impressive:

  • President of the Association of Black Social Workers
  • Member of the School of Social Work’s B.S.W. Program Committee
  • Racial justice fellow for the Radical Alliance for Anti-Racism, Change and Equity, or RAACE, a racial justice task force of faculty, staff, alumni and six fellows.
  • Intern in the office of VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D.
  • Advisory council for VCU’s senior vice provost for academic affairs
  • Past Presidential Student Ambassador for the VCU Office of the President

“My time at VCU has changed my life forever,” Kemp says. “I wish everyone, including those often harmed by oppressive systems, could experience the wealth of support, love and learning that I have experienced at this university. This support, love and learning empowered me to think more critically about my place in this world and how I may help others experience what I have.”

» See the full story at VCU News.

Categories Awards and honors, Education, Students
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