Graduates, program staff and guests at the 2019 BRIDGE Graduation Ceremony at BU School of Social Work.
On December 3rd, five students graduated from BUSSW’s BRIDGE Program, an MSW pre-admission preparatory course for first- and second-generation immigrants and refugees.
This year’s students and their families come from the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Mexico, Haiti and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China. All have worked in social work settings as community outreach workers, caregivers, counselors, advocates, and community organizers, and bring diverse professional and personal experiences to the social work field. The graduation ceremony featured guest speaker Julia Mejia, Boston City Councilor at-large, and live Latin American music by Gian Carlo Buscaglia.
Pre-Ceremony Reception
Gian Carlo Buscaglia opens the evening with songs from Latin America’s New Song Movement.
Faculty, staff, graduates and guests greet one another at a pre-ceremony reception.
From left: Julia Mejia, Boston City Councilor at-large; Claudio Martinez, BRIDGE Program co-director; and Jorge Delva, dean of BUSSW and director and Paul Farmer Professor of the Center for Innovation in Social Work & Health (CISWH).
BRIDGE Co-Director Claudio Martinez welcomes the graduates, their families and the BUSSW community.
Guest speaker Julia Mejia, Boston City Councilor at-large, shares her story.
BUSSW’s Dean Jorge Delva addresses the BRIDGE Class of 2019.
BRIDGE Program Class of 2019
The Class of 2019, from left: Gulixian Shawti, Maria Del Rocio Jorge, Cisnell Baez, Manuela Lopez and Rebecca Joseph.
From left: BRIDGE supporter Bob Hildreth, guest speaker Julia Mejia, BRIDGE co-directors Claudio Martinez and Dawn Belkin Martinez, and Dean Jorge Delva.
