2023 School of Social Work Graduation Celebration

Each year, celebrating the achievements of our social work graduates is a joyful occasion—a tradition that is truly treasured each spring. 

Our 2023 graduation will be held Thursday, June 8 at 7 p.m. at the Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. The program includes welcoming remarks from Dean Eddie Uehara, recognition awards, student performances, conferral of student degrees, and an inspiring presentation from our keynote speaker, Raquel Montoya-Lewis, a Washington State Supreme Court justice and youth advocate.

We’ll be livestreaming the celebration for family and friends who want to join us remotely. This YouTube link will go live approximately one hour before the celebration starts. Check back then.

Our keynote speaker: Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis

Born in Spain where her father was stationed with the U.S. Air Force,  she grew up on U.S. Air Force bases around the U.S. and Europe. She graduated from high school and attended college in New Mexico. Justice Montoya-Lewis is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Isleta and a descendant of the of the Pueblo of Laguna, two federally recognized tribes in New Mexico. She is of Jewish descent on her mother’s side.

Committed to the welfare of children and youth, Montoya-Lewis has received numerous awards for her support of juvenile justice reform. In 2021, she received the Betty Blinns Fletcher Leadership and Justice Award from the Mother Attorneys Mentoring Association of Seattle, and in 2020 she was awarded the American Board of Tribal Attorney’s Judge of the Year award from its Washington chapter. In 2018, the Brigid Collins Family Support Center recognized her with the Children’s Advocacy Center Community Leadership Award, and in 2015, she received the Dean’s Leadership Award from the UW School of Law.
Read more about Justice Montoya-Lewis