News Archive
Alumni
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Few people have accomplished as much in a lifetime as nonagenarian Bernice Catherine Harper. She reveals her role models, highlights from her career and her hopes for future generations of social workers.
April is Black Women’s History Month—an opportunity for black women everywhere to reflect on their accomplishments, learn about those who came before and hear the incredible stories of women currently making a difference in their fields.
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Looking for ways to give back during April’s National Volunteer Month? Get involved with one of our alumni outreach or mentorship programs!
USC is committed to giving back to our local community. Students, alumni, faculty and staff are encouraged to participate in a variety of volunteer opportunities throughout the year.
In honor of National Volunteer Month, we’re encouraging all members of the USC community to participate in one of the many opportunities available through the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work.
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What advice would Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. give to us facing the social justice and policy landscape of our society today? How does his vision still apply, and how can social workers use it to help effect policy change?
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Katie Jay, MSW ‘16, experienced homelessness as a child. She now helps the homeless find permanent housing and access to mental health services.
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Ashley Rhodes-Courter, MSW ‘12, has charted an incredible journey from a childhood spent in foster care to a career dedicated to advocacy. This is her story.
Ashley Rhodes-Courter, a graduate of the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, is an author, speaker, mother, philanthropist and child welfare advocate. Drawing on her own experience as a child adopted from foster care, Rhodes-Courter holds a deep understanding of the unique challenges facing foster kids — and how best to help them.
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Though his involvement in a gang landed him in prison at 27, José Barron never lost sight of his education goals. Now, he’s an MSW candidate in our social work program.
After overcoming unlikely odds, Jose Barron is less than a year away from completing his Master of Social Work at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. Drawing from his past experiences as a gang member and inmate, combined with his skills and training from the MSW program, Jose hopes to provide much-needed resources to his community upon graduation.
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Adding to her extensive honors, a remarkable graduate of the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work was inducted into the California Social Work Hall of Distinction on Oct. 21. Bernice Catherine Harper, MSW ’48, authored the groundbreaking book Death: The Coping Mechanism of the Health Professional and helped pioneer the hospice movement not only in the United States but also overseas.
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Have you ever applied for a job or submitted a resume online, only to never hear anything one way or another? Have you ever applied for a job for which dozens—or even hundreds—of other applicants were also applying? The process of job hunting can be pretty frustrating, but there is a better way to get through it.
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Our first week of classes has concluded amid two dramatically opposite national experiences: violence and bigotry in Charlottesville, Virginia, and universally shared excitement with the eclipse.
We can expect to be at odds in coming months between confrontation and opportunities for connection like these, all within the context of national and international instability.
As a school, we can use this tension as an opportunity to probe the meanings of democracy, diversity and social reform more deeply.
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Frances Wu, the first Chinese American to receive a Doctor of Social Work from the University of Southern California, philanthropist, and founder of Chinese American Golden Age Association, died Aug. 11 in Monterey Park, California. She was 96.
Born in 1921 in Anhui, China, Wu was a 1948 graduate of Ginling College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and social work. Her master’s degree in social work was from McGill University.