Meet Our Alumni
SP2 has a long- standing commitment to social justice and addressing difficult societal problems. SP2 students receive the education they need to make a difference in the world. And, our graduates really are making a difference. In their practice and their research, they are changing the delivery of human services, influencing policy, and addressing the challenges within the nonprofit sector. In a world of complex social problems, SP2 graduates are discovering ways to prevent and address many of them.
Sarah Bainton, MSW/MSSP'07
Program Associate,
National League of Cities’ Institute for Youth, Education and Families
I think of social work as a continuum. Where we best fit along that continuum depends on our individual talents, knowledge, personality, life’s path, and bit of luck. SP2, with three different masters programs, a range of possible areas of focus, and a field practicum component, allows students who are uncertain of what they want to do explore their options, while giving students with already targeted goals the ability to craft a curriculum to accommodate their individual needs. I wanted to delve into advocacy work, so having the opportunity to pursue a dual degree in social work and social policy best aligned with what I was looking for. The program was jam-packed and challenging, but gave me a good combination of content and skill, and having access to so many “experts in the field” was inspiring. Currently, I am working as a Program Associate for the National League of Cities’ Institute for Youth, Education, and Families in Washington, DC. My area of focus is early childhood and family economic success.
Kate Costella, MSW'03
Outreach and Communications Coordinator, National Children’s Study,
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
When I entered the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work in 2001 I was on track to become a macro social worker, though at the beginning I was unclear about what that meant, and what it would mean for me. I completed field placements with a victims’ services agency in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, and with EdTec, a for-profit management consulting firm in Camden. I always knew my most passionate interests lay in child and maternal health, but I was never quite sure how I would fulfill them. Throughout my two years at Penn I found myself relying on specific approaches and skills that I acquired in the program (mainly a focus on the individual, and an attention toward group based social inequities). These skills, along with numerous others unique to Penn, gave me the focus I needed, and I entered an arena I never thought I would – the federal government. After graduation, I became a Presidential Management Fellow (a two year federal fellowship that allows recent masters level graduates to explore the mission and work of a federal agency). I spent two years at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Most of my projects were very different from anything I had done at Penn (creating a disaster recovery plan for pediatric patients, reviewing policy and national programs for pediatric cancer survivors). However, I have always held on to the skills I acquired at Penn, and now believe there are many roles for social workers within government.
I am still at NIH, working on the National Children’s Study at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, a longitudinal research study of children’s health and development. I work with a very multidisciplinary team – compromised of pediatricians, epidemiologists, public health specialists, and others. I serve as the Outreach and Communications Coordinator for the Study.
Sara M. Gallagher, MSW'95
Vice President and Chief of Staff,
University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
I chose to pursue a degree in social work so that I could better understand the human mind and spirit -- to join the ranks of social work professionals who strive to improve the lives of those around them. Penn's School of Social Work was of particular interest to me because of its curriculum and philosophy, which emphasized learning with a broad perspective on human development, as well as the recognition of individual difference in a person's developmental process.
While my career path took a different turn from many of my classmates, I continue to admire and respect the incredible contributions social workers make to the challenges in our society. As Vice President and Chief of Staff at University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, I rarely see a day go by when I don't feel I'm using something I learned at the School of Social Work.
Kristin Green, MSW'07
Program Coordinator for their Healthy Families Program, Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
My time at Penn Social Policy & Practice (SP2) was fantastic! As a student with a family, I felt very supported by professors and staff alike. I thoroughly enjoyed the many seminars and guest speakers available in class and elsewhere on campus. Perhaps, the most important aspect of my Penn education was the quality of teaching. The professors at SP2 are exceptional! Not only did I learn a great deal from my professors’ ongoing research, but I also learned how to be a great learner. I currently work at the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC) as the Coordinator of the Lawrence, MA Healthy Families Program. I am responsible for coordinating and supervising the MSPCC home visitors who work with teenage mothers in Lawrence, MA. I am also responsible for social marketing the Healthy Families Program in the Lawrence community. It is my job to keep the many human service organizations we work with, community leaders, and politicians appraised of the work MSPCC does and of our many successes.
Connie Hoe, MSW'07
Coordinator, Feldman Initiative - Hancock County
"Social work is a profession of hope" - Professor Anthony Bruno. It is unique
from other professions in that the ingredients for success include much more
than advanced degrees or years of work experience ... social work requires
passion and the drive to make a difference. The School of Social Policy and
Practice (SP2) seeks to achieve this by relentlessly empowering and reminding
students that social work matters. In my two years of study, I not only acquired the skills needed to be a good social worker, I was challenged to be a great social worker.
Currently, I am the coordinator for one of SP2's many social change projects.
The goal of the Feldman Initiative is to assist with the recovery efforts of
Hancock County, Mississippi - a forgotten area of the Hurricane Katrina
disaster. We seek to achieve this by collaborating with Bucks Mont Katrina
Relief Project, Hancock County residents, service providers, agencies and
organizations, developing a Hancock County field placement option for
interested SP2 students as well as mobilizing the rest of the University with
the adoption of this region. Although Katrina is two years in the past, many
are still living in FEMA trailers. Local service providers have witnessed a
dramatic increase in suicides, suicide attempts, domestic violence, child abuse
and post-traumatic stress disorder. Now is the time they need help most and we
are determined to make a difference.
Bill Johnston-Walsh, MSW'89
When I finished college, with a BSW degree, I knew that I wanted and needed higher education, but, at that point, I was unsure about where to apply or what degree to pursue. My Penn journey started with a chance meeting with a faculty member who opened my eyes to the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work. From the first moment I contacted the school, I knew that Penn was the right place for me. My initial interview, the school setting and the great faculty and staff, all made me feel comfortable and challenged.
My two years at the School of Social Work gave me a well rounded education and a knowledge base that has helped me in every aspect of my life. The Penn faculty and staff’s hands-on approach made me feel like a unique person, not just a number. To this day I still refer to my textbooks and notes in both my professional and personal life.
Since graduation from Penn, I have worked in both the public and non-profit worlds, and I have used my Penn education to develop and strengthen relationships with legislators and key policymakers to enhance both federal and state programs that protect the health and safety of all older Americans.
My Penn experience and education have opened doors of opportunity for me over the years. I expect to continue to benefit from them in the years to come as the basic framework of my understanding and appreciation of the profession of social work.
Ariel Kraten, MS'07
Executive Assistant to the President/CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters International
This program is intense, individualized, and exciting. The small class size allowed us to really get to know each other and share our experiences, and I felt that the faculty was genuinely committed to us as individuals and as a class. Faculty were always interested in our feedback and responsive to our requests. A one-year program is challenging, but I have felt a tremendous amount of support along the way. Despite the short time-frame, I have been able to design a totally unique concentration building on three different departments. The core classes are giving me the tools I need to be a competent director of an organization, an effective communicator, and a successful leader. The clear emphasis on leadership rather than management creates an amazing atmosphere where I have felt like I had the freedom to shape my own experience.
Rajiv Lajmi, MS'07
Program Director, Eagles Youth Partnership—Philadelphia Eagles
I was looking to make a mid-career switch from management consulting to the non-profit world. My ideal academic program would help me strengthen my leadership skills while providing me a foundation in social development. Applying to Penn's NPL program, therefore, was a no-brainer. The flexible and dynamic nature of the program has provided me access to world-class faculty members, as well as fascinating domestic and international development initiatives. The mentorship program has exposed me to the current mission-critical issues facing non-profit leaders, and allowed me to explore theoretical, innovative and proven approaches to tackle these issues. All in all, Penn and the NPL program have given me the solid grounding I need to enter the non-profit world.
Jamey Leeanne Long, MSW'07
Departmental Coordinator, Social Service Department:
Community Relations Coordinator,
Montgomery County Emergency Service, Inc.
Classes are engaging, interactive, dialogical and require you to push past esoteric intellectualizing into action. At Penn you are viewed not only as a student, but also as a professional. I felt welcomed and respected here!
Shameeka L. Mattis, MSW'05
Social Worker II and Behavioral Health Liaison,
Riverside Correctional Facility
Two years of thought-provoking and exhilarating learning and living. This is what Penn’s MSW program was for me. It wasn’t just a series of classes; it was a lifestyle. Instilled in me are many core values necessary for social justice advocacy. I can apply functional, efficacious methods to any social ill that plagues our society because of my first year practicum experience, historical components, and the racism sequence that probed all parts of my will and skills. What is particularly special about Penn’s MSW program is that I have friends and mentors in many of the staff and faculty, as well as a lifetime network of close allies in this social justice fight, that were once fellow classmates. The macro concentration, which I experienced in my second year of study, empowers me to understand, inform, and implement social policy, while executing the direct service flair: vitals tool for rebuilding all communities. Penn reinforced the Gandhi principle that I am the change I wish to see in the world. Currently, I work as a Social Worker II and Behavioral Health Liaison at the Riverside Correctional Facility, Philadelphia Prison System.
Lauren Moore, MSW'05
Manager of The Juilliard School’s Second Century Fund
I enrolled in Penn’s MSW program ready to gain more experience working with inner city youth and to discover where my ideal career path might lead me. Before attending Penn, I majored in public policy at Duke University, briefly attended Princeton Theological Seminary, and worked for Musicians On Call, an organization in New York City that brings music to hospital patients. While these experiences were engaging and diverse, they did not provide the sense of purpose and meaning I was seeking in my career. Reflecting back on some of my other life experiences – working at a home for boys in Haiti, helping a Burmese refugee family settle in the United States, mentoring inner city youth –I began looking at schools for social work.
Penn’s value system and philosophy of practice immediately stood out among other schools. I wanted a program that combined a thoughtful approach to field practice with a rigorous academic program. At Penn, I learned a tremendous amount about advocacy, academic purpose, and nonprofit administration through internship as a case manager in the North Philadelphia school system and then as a macro student intern at the Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia.
Today, I am the Manager of The Juilliard School’s Second Century Fund, a $300 million capital campaign that will support many endowed programs as well as renovate the School’s building. So often in my own life and in the lives of those young people with whom I have worked, I have witnessed the transformative power of the arts to bring additional meaning and value to the human experience. It is an honor to support the gifted artists at The Juilliard School who bring the arts to individuals throughout the New York City community, country, and world. I love my day-to-day work at the School. I credit my education and the time I spent at Penn with helping to make this career choice possible for me. Although most people associate social work with case management, as a macro student, I learned important skills in development, administration, and policy that which continue to shape the work I do today.
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