News Archive
Alumni
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For Katie Davis, alumna of the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, hospice care does not stop for the COVID-19 pandemic, it readjusts to the present circumstances.
In the little town of Snohomish, Washington, the antiques capital of the pacific northwest just an hour northeast of Seattle, Katie Davis, MSW ’15, is part of an interdisciplinary team working for a hospice organization.
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According to the latest data available, in 2017 the United States received an estimated 139,801 affirmative asylum applications from individuals such as these:
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There are moments in many people’s lives when a medical matter changes everything. A debilitating injury. A mental health crisis. A move into hospice or palliative care. An organ transplant.
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Not all social workers have heard of the Jewish concept of tikkun olam or “repairing the world,” but most strive to live by its ideal.
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In 2005, during his first year of graduate school at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, Bryan Gaines, BA ’03, MSW ’06, DSW ’18, received a phone call from his aunt. She told him his father, with whom he had no relationship, had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, required 24/7 care and needed to be picked up—she was going to Las Vegas.
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A lot of people consider time a precious commodity, but Omar Pryce treats nearly every minute like it is made of gold. That is because for him, choosing how to spend his time is an unexpected blessing. Pryce had expected to be in prison until 2023.
Earning an early release gave him the opportunity to change his life’s trajectory. Since then, he has ensured that every day has been spent working toward his many positive life goals, such as obtaining his Master of Social Work (MSW).
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Interpersonal violence is inherently a social phenomenon, meaning it spreads through networks. Perhaps adaptive and positive behaviors like mindfulness could also be spread virally?
This is the theory that inspired Robin Petering, PhD ’18, and Nicholas Barr, PhD ’18 to develop MyPath, a violence reduction intervention for youth experiencing homelessness.
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Layan Kaileh, MSW ’18, while earning her bachelor’s degree in social work in Fresno, California, created what she called ‘blessing bags,’ which included toiletries, food, water and a couple of dollars. When out driving, if she saw someone she thought needed help, she would hand them the bag, all ready in her car.
Nicole Wilson, MSW ’18, who grew up in Los Angeles County, felt compelled to be a positive influence for change in any way she could within her community.
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On December 30, 2019, Theodore Lumpkin, Jr. became a centenarian.
If one did not know that he recently celebrated his 100th birthday, with a series of parties given by family, friends and those whose lives he has touched throughout his years, it would not be obvious. He strides into a room, takes calls on his smartphone like someone a quarter of his age, and engages you in conversation about what he has seen and done across a century of living.
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Wendy Talley, LCSW, MSW ’01, is the youngest of 11 children. The baby of the family. One evening, when she was seven, her father came home with a look of fear on his face. Fear, and coldness. Her mother quickly instructed Talley’s older sister to take her into the bedroom. She and her sister retreated and locked the door.