With graduation well in our rearview mirror, I wanted to pause to reflect on some of the recent milestones we’ve marked together this year. On May 18, the Rutgers School of Social Work community gathered together for our convocation ceremony, where we honored the 929 graduates who earned their degrees. For me, the highlight of the day was our student speaker, Karolain Guerrero, who addressed the audience with humility, inspiration, and encouragement. Karolain is a first-generation student and immigrant from the Dominican Republic who has a strong commitment to service and community. Raised in Perth Amboy, she has remained deeply connected to the communities that shaped her. Here at Rutgers, she earned an MSW degree and certificate in Latina/o/x Initiatives for Service, Training, and Assessment.
So many outstanding students graduated alongside Karolian. Take, for instance, Carol Arroyo, a part-time student who studied in New Brunswick. Carol is a mother of three young children who has faced significant health issues as well as accidents that have affected her physical abilities. Despite these challenges and responsibilities, she persevered and earned an MSW and Certificate in Child and Adolescent Well-Being this year. We also celebrated graduates like Michelle Franzoso and Jasmine Grant, a mother-daughter duo who graduated together, and Alessa and Joseph Manuola, a sister and brother who also took the ceremonial steps across the stage together.
Earlier in the spring, we hosted several School-wide events, including an alumni conversation during Black History Month, “Truth and Tubman: Social Justice Warriors during Challenging Times,” presented by Sojourner Truth Social & Racial Justice Visiting Professor Sandra Edmonds Crewe and hosted by our Alumni Council. We also hosted the Faculty & Staff Recognition Ceremony and a trip to Washington, D.C. to attend Young John Lewis: Prodigy of Protest, among others. We also kicked off our strategic planning efforts earlier this year. An initial draft containing next steps was approved by the Dean’s Advisory Council and sent to faculty for review and feedback. I will keep you apprised with updates and pertinent information as it becomes available.
We also rolled out the latest edition of our magazine, Partnering for Change, where we turned our focus to global social work, a reflection of both our longstanding commitments and the urgent realities of our interconnected world. From global public health to human rights, the challenges facing communities today transcend national borders. So, too, must our response. Here at the School of Social Work, our global engagement is expressed through collaborative research initiatives, international partnerships, and globally-focused scholarship that informs policy and practice worldwide. We are committed to ensuring that our global work is reciprocal, community-driven, and grounded in mutual learning and respect.
To that end, during the Spring semester, Assistant Professor Durrell Washington traveled to South Africa for a weeklong experience led by the organization Liberation for Us. Together, social workers, clinicians, community-based researchers, activists, artists, and educators presented to young people at Camp of Good Hope, a program serving at-risk youth. This summer, Associate Professor Felix Muchomba will be visiting Tokyo on a two-week research trip to study Japan’s landmark gender pay gap disclosure reforms, policy changes that require large and medium-sized companies to publicly report their gender pay data annually.
Our global engagement continued in July at the Joint Conference on Social Work, Education and Social Development (SWSD 2026) in Nairobi, Kenya, where the theme, Harambee for Sustainable Shared Futures, underscored the importance of international collaboration in addressing the world’s most pressing social challenges. I was proud to join Associate Professor of Professional Practice and Director of Global Social Work Programs Rebecca Davis, who also recently led a study abroad program in Romania, and Professor, Interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs & Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Antoinette Farmer in representing Rutgers School of Social Work alongside social work educators, researchers, practitioners, and leaders from around the globe. The conference provided an invaluable opportunity to exchange ideas, strengthen international partnerships, and explore innovative approaches to advancing social work education, research, and practice. We returned with new perspectives that will continue to inform our work here at Rutgers while reinforcing our commitment to strengthening social work’s impact locally, nationally, and globally. You can read more about the impact of our global work in Partnering for Change.
With the second half of the year upon us, I am eager to tackle what comes next. Right now, the world is asking so much of social workers. Our communities continue to navigate intersecting challenges: mental health needs, housing insecurity, healthcare inequities, and the lasting impacts of social and economic disruptions, among many other issues. These realities can feel overwhelming, but they also reinforce why our profession matters. Social workers are positioned to meet these complex challenges with compassion. We are trained to support individuals and families while also examining systems, advocating for change, and building fairer institutions. It is a significant responsibility, but one I am confident we are prepared to address.
I am proud of the many ways our students, faculty, and staff have contributed to this mission throughout the year. We have seen faculty advance impactful scholarship and thought leadership. We have watched students excel in classrooms and practicum settings, often balancing extraordinary personal and professional responsibilities. Staff across the School have supported operations, programming, services, and countless behind-the-scenes functions that make our work possible. Institutional success is never the result of individual effort alone. It is built through shared commitment.
The social work profession continues to evolve alongside changing community needs. As a School, we remain committed to preparing future practitioners and leaders while strengthening research, partnerships, and institutional priorities that position us for continued impact. Transitions are an inevitable part of both higher education and professional life. They can bring excitement, uncertainty, possibility, and reflection all at once. As we enter the summer months, I encourage each of you to take time to rest, recharge, and reflect on the last academic year, while also recognizing the tremendous work that our dedicated staff and faculty continue to accomplish throughout the summer.
To our graduates: congratulations. To our faculty and staff: thank you for the expertise and care you bring to this work. And to the entire Rutgers School of Social Work community: thank you for helping shape a School grounded not only in excellence, but in purpose.