“I exited the PhD program feeling completely prepared to succeed in the many roles of a tenure track faculty member (e.g., researcher, educator, and leader) due to the top-notch training provided by the SP2 faculty. Perhaps most important was the level of mentorship I received from the doctoral faculty, especially my dissertation chair Dr. Sorenson, which I desperately needed as a first-generation college graduate.”

“Coming to Penn, I was excited to learn that just before the doors of the Penn School of Social Work opened in 1908, W.E.B. DuBois conducted one of the first extensive neighborhood surveys and published his seminal book, The Philadelphia Negro. I arrived at just the right time to be involved in another groundbreaking project at the University of Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Census of Congregations Project.”

“Penn’s PhD program in Social Welfare showed me how to use research and data to assess social services and suggest evidence-based improvements. I was able to use those skills during and after the program to help local non-profits evaluate their work and sustain the funds needed to continue their work. I now use those same skills to develop and maintain a Division of Performance Management and Accountability for the Department of Human Services in Philadelphia.”

“I had a world class university as a base to think through my ambitions. I had at my disposal an engaged faculty to connect me to resources to make things happen. Many times I hear colleagues struggle with a choice of whether to be a researcher or an activist. While at Penn, I figured that out: Why must I choose?”