News Archive

Call it a perfect marriage of need. As the COVID-19 health emergency upended people’s lives this spring and summer, faculty at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work found a way to help Master of Social Work (MSW) students, and the greater Los Angeles community, with an innovative initiative aimed at promoting well-being to underserved populations through pro bono telehealth counseling services.

Jankee Pandya, MSW ’17, lives her life according to a simple creed she learned from the leader of her Hindu temple: “In the joy of others lies our own.”

Those eight words from His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj form a call to action for Pandya that is more important than ever in her work in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We live in an age in which academics are often criticized as elitists who uphold liberal values, indoctrinate our students with these values, and dismiss out of hand any ideas advocated by colleagues or others that seem to oppose those values. In response, we admit that we strive to preserve and protect the values of equity, diversity and inclusion because we view them as the foundation for a democratic and just society and the cornerstone of academic freedom.

The USC Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer+ (LGBTQ+) Health Equity (CLHE) at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work has offices on USC’s University Park campus, but like everything during the COVID-19 pandemic, much of their work is done virtually these days.

The link between systemic racism and homelessness is clear, not just to researchers and officials who have acknowledged the problem, but also to anyone walking or driving along Los Angeles’s sidewalks or parks.

In January 2020, Lourdes Ashley Hunter was contacted by the Library of Congress. An archivist told Hunter they wanted to archive her website, including the entire body of work contained within it, as part of their mission to preserve and provide access to a rich, diverse and enduring source of knowledge.

When Hunter asked what she needed to do, the archivist replied, “Nothing at all. You’ve already done it.”

After significant urging from her mother, Annabelle Vives, RN, enrolled in the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work to become a family nurse practitioner. Isabel Vives, RN, had been cautioning her daughter since she was a little girl to get all her degrees before she was old, married and had kids, or she would regret it.

Jennifer Avalos, Master of Social Work (MSW) student at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, is a U.S. Army veteran, married to an active duty Marine. Her way of life, learned from her chosen family ― the military ― is to adapt, improve and overcome.

Each year, the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work honors students who have made significant achievements in their academic careers and contributions to the community. We are proud to recognize the following students for their outstanding accomplishments.

Social Work Alumni Association Award

Recognizes great potential to contribute to the social work profession and the USC alumni community.

Dear members of the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work community: