Category: Graduate Student


Behind the Badge | Ambassadors in Focus : Max Sleep-Frankel, DSW

10/20/2024 Get to know Max Sleep-Frankel, one of our exceptional graduate ambassadors at the UA School of Social Work. In this installment of "Behind the Badge | Ambassadors in Focus," we take a closer look at the individuals who serve as bothleaders and advocates within our program. Max offers a unique perspective on his journey to social work,…


Melody L. Higgins

DOJ Graduate Research Assistant Contact Information Email: mlhiggins1@crimson.ua.eduOffice: 110 Farrah HallPhone: 205-541-6754 Areas of Interest and Expertise Education Bio Melody is married with seven children. She and her husband have been foster parents for the past nine years, and during that time, they adopted four of their children through foster care. She is currently working on…


Retisha (Tish) Warr

PhD Student Contact Information Email: rlwinton@crimson.ua.edu Areas of Interest and Expertise Education Bio Retisha (Tish) Warr received her B.A. in Psychology from Texas Woman’s University in 2007. Tish worked in child welfare, juvenile court, and in various prisons in Colorado, Texas, and Alaska until 2015 when she went back to school for her MSW at the…


Cho Rong (Claudia) Won

PhD Student Contact Information Email: cwon@crimson.ua.edu Areas of Interest and Expertise Education Bio Since receiving her BSW, Cho Rong has accumulated diverse research experiences in the areas of gerontology, health disparities, mental health, behavioral health, and rurality among the minority population. She acquired international field experience for both BSW and MSW field placements in South Korea…


Violet Nkwanzi

PhD Student Contact Information Email: vnkwanzi@crimson.ua.edu Areas of Interest and Expertise Education Bio Violet Nkwanzi’s research focuses on developing, implementing, and evaluating mental health interventions for vulnerable populations. Violet is particularly interested in the mental health of survivors of human trafficking, refugees, and children and adolescent mental health programming in low-resource settings. Originally from Uganda, much…


Melissa Ticozzi

MSW/ PhD Concurrent Student Contact Information Email: mticozzi@crimson.ua.edu Areas of Interest and Expertise Education BSW, Università di Parma (University of Parma – Italy) Bio Melissa is currently enrolled in the concurrent MSW/PhD program. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the University of Parma, in Italy. During her senior year she was selected as one of…


Angela Smith

PhD Candidate Contact Information Email: asmith165@crimson.ua.edu Areas of Interest and Expertise Education Research Interests Angela’s current research focuses on the lived experiences of Black college students regardingpolice violence encounters. Bio Angela began conducting research as an undergraduate McNair Scholar at the University of Montevallo. This opportunity enabled her to become a co-author of a publication focusing…


Terrell Richardson

PhD Student Contact Information Email: trichardson5@crimson.ua.edu Areas of Interest and Expertise Education Bio Terrell (He/him) has worked extensively with college students and the unsheltered population. Under the guidance of a faculty member, Terrell conceptualized and completed a qualitative study that investigated the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on student leaders attending Minority Serving Institutions…


Reckley, Alauna

PhD Student Contact Information Email: areckley@crimson.ua.edu Areas of Interest and Expertise Education Bio Before attending the University of Alabama for her PhD in Social Work, Alauna worked as a case manager for a Juvenile Diversion program in Tallahassee, Florida. After this, she transitioned to central Florida for her masters and worked as a Case Manager for…


Angela Pretz

PhD Student Contact Information Email: ajpretz@ua.edu Areas of Interest and Expertise Education