NASW Foundation Names 2024 Lyons, Barron, Gosnell Scholarship Recipients

Foundation

By Paul R. Pace

TOP ROW, from left: Kimberly McDaniel, Christiana Tyler, Kendall Straughter, Fatoumata Magassa, Jennifer Ugarte, Jordana Suriel, Roxy Sprowl, and Rolando Perez. BOTTOM ROW, from left: Lisette Garcia, Garcia Hernandez, Renee Booth, Ana Olivera, Leidy Barrientos Jiménez, Monica Martinez, Jalen Conyers, and Gordon Culley.

Social work students who support marginalized groups, social justice issues, and aid to individuals and families have been awarded scholarships though the NASW Foundation. The MSW scholarships promote diversity, equity and inclusion to assist NASW student members pursuing a variety of social work specialties.

NASW Foundation Director Brian N. Williams says he is proud of the Foundation’s longstanding commitment to supporting the next generation of social work leaders through its scholarship programs. “The current scholars embody the future of leadership and are equipped with the skills, vision and innovation that will find the solutions to our most pressings issues and build a just and equitable society for all,” he said.

The Verne LaMarr Lyons Memorial Scholarships are awarded to master’s degree candidates in social work who demonstrate an interest in or have experience with health/mental health practice and have a commitment to working in African American communities. The 2024 scholars are:

• Kimberly McDaniel, University of the Pacific in California, said she plans to focus on working with African American youth and gender nonconforming youth through school-based services.
• Kendall Straughter, University of Chicago, said she will work to raise awareness of the need for mental health services in Black spaces, increase enrollment of Black students within the social work program at the University of Chicago, and further develop her firm to serve as radical change agents.
• Christiana Tyler, California State University, San Bernadino, said she wants to help undo the harm caused by the unjust, malicious systems that exist in society. She is especially passionate about working with populations that have historically been most disregarded in the U.S.
• Fatoumata Magassa, Columbia University. Born and raised in Harlem, NYC, Magassa plans to become an anti-carceral forensic social worker (and eventually a public defense lawyer) because “people who are incarcerated should not have to prove to a judge that they are human beings worthy of second chances.”

The Lawanna Renee Barron Endowed Scholarships are awarded to MSW students with demonstrated interest or experience in working in rural settings and/or health and mental health in African American communities. The recipients are:

• Jalen Conyers, Winthrop University. Conyers’ goal as a social worker is to collaborate with children and youth, and to be a link for students in rural South Carolina to get the help they need, while advocating for them as well.
• Gordon Culley, Minnesota State University, says his professional interest lies in addressing the disparities in mental health care, with a focus on preventive measures and services tailored to African American individuals. 

The Consuelo W. Gosnell Memorial Scholarships are awarded to master’s degree candidates in social work who have demonstrated a commitment to working with, or who have a special affinity with, American Indian/Alaska Native and Hispanic/Latino populations. The 2024 recipients are:

• Renee Booth, College of St. Scholastica, Minnesota, says she plans to work in the child welfare field, specifically Indian child welfare, which will allow her to work with kids like herself who may feel misrepresented and silenced, as she did when she was in foster care.
• Lisette Garcia, University of Chicago, Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy and Practice. In the long term, Garcia is interested in a management or supervisory position in a community mental health or social services agency that serves a large portion of Chicago’s low-income communities of color.
• Garcia Hernandez, Walden University, Minnesota. Hernandez plans to be a counselor for at-risk Latinx/Hispanic youth.
• Leidy Barrientos Jiménez, Loyola University, envisions working with immigrant and minority children and adults who have experienced trauma, particularly sexual assault and abuse. She plans to start her career by providing therapy services, particularly to people who speak Spanish.
• Monica Martinez, University of Houston, is interested in working with Latino/BIPOC and LGBTQ+ adults, and to “dismantle systems of oppression that devise inequality, injustice, and violence.”
• Ana Olivera, Rutgers University, New Jersey, says an MSW will provide the tools necessary to become an advocate for a holistic approach to behavioral health justice in a classroom and through research. 
• Rolando Perez, Columbia School of Social Work, New York, plans to leverage his academic and professional experience to advance civil and human rights for all. 
• Roxy Sprowl, University of Michigan School of Social Work, says she will continue work to ensure that Native youth feel seen and heard within spaces of education and welfare; increase representation of Indigenous peoples,  histories and experiences; and make educational institutions more accessible for Indigenous students.
• Jordana Suriel, Columbia University School of Social Work, is interested in working with organizations that invest in communities of color, and plans to conduct research to develop solutions that help explain criminal legal and immigration systems.
• Jennifer Ugarte, Portland State University, says her work experience has shown her that people can be removed from traumatic situations, but they often don’t have the tools to overcome or recognize the detrimental behavior and maladaptive coping skills caused by the trauma they’ve experienced.