Category Graduate Student


Spring Commencement 2020: Rebekah Koen, MSW

McNair Fellow who Suffered Homelessness as Child to Begin Work with Homeless Vets By David Miller April 29, 2020 Eviction notices. Homeless shelters. Conditional living arrangements. For a brief period during sixth grade and during two years of high school, Rebekah Koen and her family navigated the challenges of homelessness in Central Alabama. Housing services…


Spring Commencement 2020: Dr. Brad Barber

Veteran Law Enforcement, Corrections Officer Inspired by Mother’s Work at DHR By David Miller April 28, 2020 Brad Barber was “born into social work.” His family has owned and operated Tri-Wil, Inc., a residential treatment facility for youth in Bibb County, for 30 years. His mother, Pamela Brown, works at Tri-Wil and previously worked for…


Spring Commencement 2020: Devon Kelly, MSW

Chicagoan Aims to Replicate Mentor’s Impact in Childhood Community By David Miller April 28, 2020 Devon Kelly carries his neighborhood wherever he goes. A Chicago native and son to a single mother, Kelly watched many of his childhood friends wind up in prison or perish to violence. As a youth, he too was “caught up”…


Spring Commencement 2020: William “Bill” Gallant, MSW

Longtime Army Infantryman Readies for Second Career in Social Work By David Miller April 28, 2020 As Army Master Sergeant William “Bill” Gallant was nearing completion of his undergraduate degree in criminal justice, the Army required he take an academic aptitude test to determine his best fit for graduate school. The results weren’t what he…


Beech, Sutton Moving Forward with Research, Partnerships in Perry County

Doctoral students beginning mixed-methods study with focus on women March 12, 2020 By David Miller TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – University of Alabama School of Social Work doctoral students Amber Sutton and Haley Beech are combining their research interests of maternal health and intimate partner violence to help strengthen the population of one of Alabama’s poorest counties.…


Unearthing Creativity in Youth

Alexi Bolton isn’t yet sure of her postgraduate future – she’ll receive bachelor’s degrees in social work and marketing in May 2019 – nor does she know what will become of her “baby,” Inspired Arts, a free arts camp for children she created in 2015 in her hometown of Madison. “I’ve been working on Inspired Arts…


MSW student is helping to shape HIV/AIDS policy, advocacy

MSW student Catherine Stewart was recently appointed to the Professional Association of Social Workers in HIV/AIDS’ (PASWHA) Board of Directors. Read her Q&A to learn how she became involved with the nonprofit and is working to help shape policy and advocacy for those living with HIV/AIDS. Q. Where did you complete your MSW field experience and…


Two professors and graduate students awarded Community Engagement Graduate Fellowships

Hee Yun Lee, professor and Endowed Chair in Social Work, and Hyunjin “Gina” Noh, assistant professor of social work, were each awarded a 2018 Community Engagement Graduate Fellowship by the Faculty Teaching and Research Support Committee of the Council on Community-Based Partnerships (CCBP) at UA. They are two of three UA faculty recipients of the highly competitive award.…