Alumni in the Field
Sherisse Laud-Hammond, MSW’05
As a 2005 graduate of the MSW program, Sherisse Laud-Hammond is committed to social change and the future of social work. While these goals are not uncommon among social workers, Sherisse’s method of realizing them is rather unique. Instead of addressing societal issues by working as a clinical social worker in a school, or a policy advocate in Washington, Sherisse strengthens the field of social work as the Associate Director of Admissions and Recruitment at the School of Social Policy & Practice. Since accepting this position last summer, she has dedicated herself to recruiting and attracting tomorrow’s leaders in social work, nonprofit / nongovernmental leadership, and social policy.
While Sherisse admits that the position is a natural fit and ideal for her social work skills, this wasn’t what she initially planned to do after graduation. She entered the MSW program with a strong desire to do school social work: her experiences as a teacher in the Literacy Intern Program with the school district of Philadelphia caused her to become interested in the issues affecting her students outside of the classroom. As a result, she began working as a Therapeutic Support Staff (TSS), and mentored/shadowed children in a school-based behavioral health initiative. Through these experiences, Sherisse began to see the need for social workers to be writing child welfare policies and initiatives. This led her to pursue her Masters in Social Work, and Penn was the only school to which she applied.
She finds that when she talks with prospective students, they are often drawn to Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice for the same reasons she was. They cite the fact that they are interested in the racism sequence (the SP² required racism sequence is rare among schools of social work), the Penn Approach, and the commitment to social change. Now, as an MSW, she uses her social work skills every day, from assessing applicants to determine if they are a good fit for the school to advocating for potential students.
As an MSW student, Sherisse served as the Vice President of ABSW (Association of Black Social Workers) and a member of the Student Graduation Committee. She was a recipient of the Fighting American Racism Award, presented by the Black Men at Penn School of Social Work, Inc.
She is a first-generation American (her mother is Jamaican, her father is from Ghana), and was born and raised in Philadelphia. With the exception of the college semester she spent in Ghana, Sherisse’s education has taken place in Pennsylvania. She attended J.R. Masterman High School in Philadelphia, and received a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Penn State University, where she became a member of Delta Sigma Theta public service sorority. After graduation, she worked as a Research Associate for an international executive recruitment firm. Although she enjoyed the position, she felt a need to work with underserved populations.
Even outside of work, Sherisse is still involved with the community. She volunteers with the homeless ministries at her church, bringing dinner to places like 30th Street Station, Suburban Station, and the Free Library to feed the homeless on Saturday nights. Additionally, she co-facilitates a group called “The Power of Positive Parenting” at Resources for Change (which was the site of her first-year field placement and where she met her mentor, Dr. Gwendolyn Davis, MSW’88).
Together with Mary Mazzola, MSW’85 and Director of Admissions and Recruitment, Sherisse ensures that we continue to recruit and educate talented individuals who will be tomorrow’s leaders in social welfare and social justice.