How she found her research: Josselyn Valenzuela
Josselyn Valenzuela began working on a School of Nursing-based project, the Mindful Moms Study, as a B.S.W. student and has continued after graduating in May 2024 and enrolling in the School of Social Work’s M.S.W. Program. Mindful Moms examines mental health – particularly depression – and well-being during pregnancy for both Spanish- and English-speaking participants. The team […]
Meet M.S.W. student Sha’Dyamond Bond
Sha’Dyamond Bond‘s grandparents were foster parents who adopted children, motivating her interest in becoming a social worker. “Now I’m on the outside looking in and helping others, too,” she says. Sha’Dyamond is participating in the Child Welfare Stipend Program at VCU, and her first field placement is at C2Adopt in Henrico. “It’s going very well. […]
Cassie DeSena-Jacobs presenting at national conference about course development
Cassie DeSena-Jacobs, D.S.W., LCSW, assistant professor in teaching at the VCU School of Social Work, will be presenting in April at the Social Work Distance Education 2024 Virtual Conference. Developing an Advanced Clinical Class through an Anti-Racist Lens 5-5:45 p.m. ET Wednesday, April 10, 2024What does it really mean to include anti-racist strategies in a class […]
The power of love: Endowed scholarship honors Mary Cartledge (M.S.W.’78/SW), son
Chuck Cartledge and Mary Hugh Dotson Cartledge (M.S.W.’78) fell for each other in a big way, and fast. The life they built together came at them quickly, and their love – endearing and enduring – lasted through 45 years of marriage. Chuck writes in a remembrance of his late wife, who passed away in March […]
Honoring student excellence for 2022-23
The VCU School of Social Work is pleased to recognize the academic and service excellence of nearly 250 students as we close the 2022-2023 academic year. Honors include major national awards through the VCU Scholarship Office, VCU and School of Social Work annual awards, Phi Alpha Honor Society inductees, and B.S.W. students who earned Dean’s […]
Marjorie Stuckle (M.S.W.’73/SW) follows her heart in endowing M.S.W. scholarship
Marjorie A. Stuckle (M.S.W.’73/SW), Ph.D., is a nearly lifelong New Yorker, semi-retired and living in the center of Manhattan. But she left her heart in Richmond – and, more specifically, at Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Stuckle, a former clinician, educator and administrator focused on mental health, is giving back to the VCU School of Social […]
December M.S.W. graduate Brittany Watson finds her path as a doula
Brittany Watson will graduate Dec. 10 with her Master of Social Work degree, having focused on the clinical concentration through the M.S.W. Program online format. Her plans are to expand her birth doula business to offer more services to expecting parents and newborns. It’s the culmination of a career change after she earned two B.S. […]
M.S.W. student Kwasi Deitutu helps soldiers and families – and keeps the peace on the soccer pitch
VCU master of social work student Kwasi Deitutu is a former sergeant first class who traveled the world for the U.S. Army, meeting President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. But it’s fellow soldiers and their families, and their needs, that drew him to social work after retiring from the military. “The […]
It takes two: Summer Jones is the name to know for social work Commencement
Spring Commencement for the VCU School of Social Work had a distinctly Summer feel to it in 2022. Among the nearly 300 graduates who received degrees on May 13 at the Siegel Center, two stood out in the list of graduates: Summer Jones and … Summer Jones. That was not a typo. Summer Caroline Jones […]
‘We can do this together’: Felicia Smith and daughter Raeven earning M.S.W. degrees
Felicia Smith‘s journey to earning her master’s degree in social work was decades in the making and slowed when she had complications during the pregnancy with her first daughter, Raeven, 26 years ago. The wait was worth it, as it led to mother and daughter syncing their career paths. And on Friday, May 13, 2022, […]