2023 BUSSW Commencement Ceremony Celebrates MSW & PhD Graduates

Boston University School of Social Work (BUSSW) celebrated its graduating MSW and PhD students on Thursday, May 18, at the 2023 BUSSW Commencement ceremony at the Walter Brown Arena. The graduates and guests came from far and wide, representing all program formats and campuses: the Charles River On-Campus Program, the Online Program, and the Off-Campus & Hybrid Program’s Bedford, Cape Cod, Fall River and Worcester campuses.

A number of speakers took the stage to deliver inspiring words to the graduates. In addition to commencement speaker Caroline Chou who presented the convocation address, three graduates served as student speakers: Alanah Hodges (On-Campus Program), Eliana Agudelo (Off-Campus & Hybrid Program, Worcester Campus) and Amal Sage Ortiz (Online Program).

Gifts and prizes were awarded by Professor Donna McLaughlin to eight graduating students:

• Olivia Lopes – The Saul and David Bernstein Prize for group work students who demonstrate outstanding merit in the classroom and the field
• Donnell van Noppen – The Carl D’Ettore Memorial Prize for a clinical practice student placed in a health care setting who demonstrates outstanding merit
• Lisa DeAlmeida – The Sarah B. Lange Changemaker’s Prize for macro practice students who demonstrate commitment to social justice through work, community service, volunteerism and/or field placement
• Diego Arene-Morley – The Dean’s Award for Leadership in Social Work for a part-time student who demonstrates outstanding merit in the classroom, field and community
• Hannah Dallman – The Faculty Award for Excellence in Social Work Practice for students who demonstrate outstanding merit in the classroom, field and community
• Jaimee Provan and Karla Armenoff  – The Frances (Frankie) Frank Award for outstanding students in the Advanced Lowy-GEM Program in Aging and/or Aging Specialization
• Sarah Chang – The Online Program Leadership Award for an online student who demonstrates outstanding leadership excellence in the classroom and the field

The Teaching Excellence Award, voted on by students, was awarded to Clinical Associate Professor Hope Haslam Straughan, and Dean Jorge Delva presented the class gift, a generous contribution to the School’s Student Emergency Fund.

The awarding of diplomas and hooding began with the doctoral students:

• Cristina Araujo Brinkerhoff, PhD, MA
  • Dissertation: “Brazilian Immigrant Mothers’ Social Networks: Implications for Mental Health and Wellbeing”
  • Hooder: Linda Sprague Martinez
• Corinne Beaugard, PhD, MSW
  • Dissertation: “Substance Use and Early Recovery: A Mixed Methods Study”
  • Hooder: Maryann Amodeo
• Greer Hamilton, PhD, MSW
  • Dissertation: “On Belonging: An Exploration Into How Neighborhood Change is Embodied by Residents of Buffalo, New York”
  • Hooder: Linda Sprague Martinez
• Noor Toraif, PhD, MA
  • Dissertation: “In-Routes and “On The Outs”: Dually Involved Black & Latino Youth and Young Adults’ Transition Experiences From The Child Welfare System to the Juvenile Legal System and During Reentry”
  • Hooder: Astraea Augsberger

After the conferring of doctoral degrees, faculty members Dawn Belkin Martinez and Layla Khayr hooded the MSW graduates. Serà Godfrey-Kaplan, winner of the 2022 Teaching Excellence Award, served as reader while Dean Jorge Delva conferred the diplomas.

Once each student had crossed the stage, BUSSW Alumni Board President Daniel Do, an MSW alum and current PhD student, welcomed the new graduates to the School’s alumni network and offered them words of wisdom and encouragement. The ceremony closed with a special musical performance by MSW graduate Danielle Pendleton, who played “Changemakers,” an original song celebrating social workers’ collective effort to make the world a better place.

Photo Highlights

All photos by Dave Green Photography