News Archive
Alumni
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When Henrick Karoliszyn began the Doctor of Social Work (DSW) program at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, his intention was to explore juvenile solitary confinement. However, as he progressed in his studies, he realized there was a more pressing issue of social isolation for which he was uniquely qualified to investigate: secondary trauma among journalists. Karoliszyn is an award-winning journalist who covered crime as a national correspondent for major publications, including The Wall Street Journal and New York Daily News.
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In May 2025, Lisa Whealy receives her Doctor of Social Work (DSW) from the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. Her path to completing this degree, however, was a journey of discovery.
At the beginning of 2020, Lisa Whealy was in her final semester to complete a master’s degree in communication management from USC Annenberg, and self-employed as a music journalist and publicist. Then, the pandemic hit.
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During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mercedes Tiggs, MSW ’12, was living in a one-room apartment with her dog, experiencing significant anxiety and depression.
“I was very fortunate to bring myself out of that rut by coming up with weekly activities in the kitchen,” Tiggs said.
She found planning meals and cooking to be therapeutic, and reasoned that if it helped her it may also help others. So, Tiggs fused her passion for mental health with her passion for cooking to create a nontraditional therapy intervention.
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At the tender age of six, Shobana Powell, DSW ’20, decided to be a light amidst the darkness in the world, and to build community. Nestled in her grandmother’s lap, she heard countless inspiring stories of how her mother, grandparents and many others in her family and the Tamil community survived the Sri Lankan civil war in the 1980s. Her family later emigrated to the United States, where Powell was born.
At age 12, while learning about human rights around the world and civil rights across the U.S., she suddenly realized something about herself.
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The San Diego Business Journal recently recognized Kiley Dunne Lizama, DSW '20, for her inclusive, innovative therapeutic work and advocacy.
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On November 5, 2024, Danny Hang, MSW ’11, the son of refugees from the Vietnam War who grew up in the San Gabriel Valley of Southern California, won his first election to public office. As a new member of the West Hollywood City Council, he is proud to represent the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community as one of the only members of color. The inspiration to mount a political campaign, Hang says, began with his educational experience at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work.
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In early 2022, Valeria Iniesta-Guzman, MSN ’23, was placed with a street medicine mobile unit providing care for the homeless population in Santa Ana, California. It was one of her clinical internship requirements for the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work.
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For college student athletes, realizing your dream of playing at an elite level and all the pressures that come with it can take a toll. Approximately a third of collegiate athletes experience depression or anxiety, while suicide rates among National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletes have doubled since 2002.
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When you are a former foster youth, you have spent most of your childhood trying to beat the odds stacked against you. Those who are lucky enough to find the support of caring adults can be inspired to pay that forward to the next generation. Such is the experience of two alumnae of the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work classmates and members of the Trojan Guardian Scholars, whose childhood trajectories followed a similar path and led to their career choice working with children.
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Exercise and team sports have been proven to provide clear mental health benefits according to numerous studies. For some athletes who reach an elite level, sports can also be an opportunity to gain an educational scholarship and degree, or help lift their families out of poverty. Yet, despite these benefits, elite collegiate athletes display higher risk for anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation than their peers.