University of Washington Ph.D. students Vania Buck and Jon Torres were recognized this past weekend at the Council on Social Work Education Annual Conference as recipients of the 2025 Minority Fellowship Program. Current UW Ph.D. students Joanna La Torre and Juliann Li Verdugo were also selected as MFP fellows in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
The University of Washington School of Social Work is thrilled to announce that Hannah Scheuer, a graduating Ph.D. student, has accepted a position as a tenure track assistant professor at The Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College – City University of New York (CUNY). Scheuer graduates from UW in Spring 2025 and will begin her faculty position in January 2026.
The University of Washington’s Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies awarded Tess Abrahamson-Richards, a fourth-year Ph.D. student at the UW School of Social Work, with the 2024 Best Graduate Paper in Labor Studies Prize. Since 1992, the Bridges Center has promoted quality scholarship on labor issues among UW students through an annual $500 cash prize to the authors of the best student papers written on a labor topic during the academic year.
The University of Washington’s Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies awarded Natalie Turner, a third-year Ph.D. student at the UW School of Social Work, with the 2024-2025 Martha H. Duggan Fellowship in Caring Labor. The fellowship annually awards recipients $10,000 to be applied to tuition costs or provide support for living expenses, books, fees and other educational expenses.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has selected Juliann Li Verdugo, a second-year Ph.D. student at the University of Washington School of Social Work, as one of its 2024 Health Policy Research Scholars. Among the 40 scholars in the 2024 cohort, Li Verdugo is the sole selection from Washington state.
The Group of Advancement for Doctoral Education in Social Work (GADE) presented Joanna La Torre, a fifth-year Ph.D. student at the University of Washington School of Social Work, with the 2024 GADE Student Award for Teaching in Social Work.
Administered by Aida V. Wells, associate teaching professor at the School of Social Work, the Social Work Practice with Latinx Communities Traineeship offers targeted skill-building for MSW students committed to the health and well-being of the Latinx community. The program equips students to be effective practitioners by deepening their understanding of practice models and interventions that resonate with Latinx individuals, families and communities.
Fatima Al-kinani left the military in her mid-20s. After a decade spent raising her children, she decided it was time to go back to school. Taking advantage of the GI Bill, she eventually earned her bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Washington Tacoma.
Nov. 8 is the National First-Generation College Celebration. The School of Social Work proudly supports our first-generation students such as Nora Hull interviewed here. Upcoming UW FirstGen activities across the UW’s three campuses include pop-up events, guest speakers, and a fire-chat with UW FirstGen alumni.
The Bullitt Foundation awarded the 17th annual Bullitt Environmental Prize to UW School of Social Work MSW student Kristina Chu for their innovative work focusing on the environmental and health risks of urban community gardens and farms. This prestigious prize is designed to broaden and diversify the leadership of the environmental movement in the Pacific Northwest.