News Archive
Alumni
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Growing up in South Los Angeles, USC School of Social Work alumna Rosa Johnson, MSW ’12, knows first-hand the importance of having mentors and a network of people who not only support you but also push and encourage you to excel.
“By the time I graduated high school, I was lost,” Johnson said. “I didn't know my options, I didn't have access to financial resources, and I really didn't understand my potential.”
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The California Social Work Hall of Distinction has announced USC School of Social Work Dean and Professor Emeritus Rino Patti, DSW ’67, will be among its 2012 inductees—along with three other alumni—to be honored for their distinguished career achievements and exceptional contributions to social welfare in California.
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It’s been more than 50 years since Helen Ramirez, MSW ’59, was a student at the USC School of Social Work, but her connection remains as strong as ever. Every year, the Vista, Calif., retiree autographs her check, stamps the envelope and drops her gift in the mailbox—like she has for the last three decades.
“I feel very passionate about education,” she said. “Education opened the doors of opportunity for me, and I always try to pay back. That’s my motivation.”
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If you’re a bank that serves a community that may not be the most savvy when it comes to finances and tends to be wary of banking in general, what do you do to encourage people to use your services?
You enlist the help of social workers, who are well-versed in community outreach and education.
That’s the tactic East Los Angeles’ Pan American Bank took when it hired two USC School of Social Work alumni to develop and lead its financial literacy program.
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Dwight Tate, MSW ’77, has made a five-year pledge to the USC School of Social Work to help train students to become agents of change in their communities.
Tate hopes his gift of $52,000 will help support students interested in the school’s Community Organization, Planning and Administration concentration, which he studied as a student.
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Master of Social Work students Victoria Torres and Kyra Haglund are the first recipients of the Pamela and Mark A. Mischel Family Endowed Scholarship, which supports students pursuing studies in military social work at the USC School of Social Work.
A $50,000 gift from Pamela and Mark Mischel, parents of Alyson Mischel, MSW ’00, established the scholarship for students pursuing the school’s Military Social Work and Veteran Services sub-concentration.
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Mark Spratt, a member of the USC School of Social Work Board of Councilors, has established a scholarship to aid students who support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.
The $50,000 gift created the Matthew Holland Scholarship in Social Work, in honor of Spratt’s partner, for students who have demonstrated a commitment to LGBT matters through academic work, community involvement or other personal contributions.
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Marilyn Flynn, dean of the USC School of Social Work, has received the International Rhoda G. Sarnat Award for her efforts to advance the public image of professional social work.
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Spring break: a time of year for college students to blow off some steam and kick back before the stress of finals arrives at the end of the school year.
But some USC School of Social Work students, faculty and even alumni have made so much more of this traditionally carefree week.
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The USC Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans and Military Families is now offering online continuing education courses aimed at behavioral healthcare professionals.
Partially funded by a $6.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense, CIR’s continuing education classes are a part of its A Rapid and Revolutionary Response to the Needs of Wounded Warriors project, through which the center is developing a comprehensive, evidence-based curriculum designed to train therapists for working with servicemembers and their families.