Omar Lopez, a clinical assistant professor in field education at the USC School of Social Work, is the recipient of an Angels in Adoption award from the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute.

Lopez, who has eight years of experience working for San Diego County as a child welfare social worker, was nominated by Congressman Rep. Bob Filner for his dedication to creating and promoting opportunities for both families and children in the child welfare system. Lopez is the second vice chair for Chicano Federation, one of the largest non-profit social services agencies in San Diego County. As the program administrator for its foster care program La Cuna, Lopez helps set policy for how foster care services are delivered to the Latino population under the age of five. He serves in this position pro bono.

“Culture and language factors are important to respect when considering that many or most of our foster children come from monolingual Spanish-speaking homes,” Lopez said. “The award is a nice recognition for the work we have conducted through the Chicano Federation to maintain La Cuna. My work with the organization keeps me close to the realities that social work practitioners face, and I am able to bring this experience into the classroom to share with my students.”

Lopez accepted the award in Washington, D.C., where he joined other recipients from across the country for three days of events designed to train them in using personal experiences to reach out to children without homes, as well as celebrate their accomplishments in their respective communities.