News

"I am a Dream Beyond Bars fellow at Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice. As formerly incarcerated youth and leaders in our community, we are committed to ensuring that the state closes DJJ the right way. To me, this means that youth never belong in cages, period... Young people are...Read more about OP-ed by Katarina Sayally (MSW '19): "It’s On All of Us: Close Youth Prisons, Build Youth Leaders"

"With half of Latinx households facing food insecurity, and misunderstandings about food stamp eligibility rampant, what can we do?" MSW student...Read more about Op-ed by Nicole Balbuena (MSW '22): "Let’s Put Food on the Table – A Call to Reform the CalFresh System"

"In honor of Ambassador (ret.) Ruth A. Davis’s 40-year distinguished career and commitment to diplomatic excellence, the Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute (FSI) is...Read more about Foreign Service Institute honors Ambassador Ruth Davis (MSW '68)

Alum Honey Mahogany was elected as the first transgender and first Black chair of the San Francisco Democrats.Read more about San Francisco Democrats elect Honey Mahogany (MSW '09) as first Black and first transgender local party chair

In 1995, Veronica Piper-Jefferson walked across the stage of her MSW graduation with her infant son Savelle in her arms. Twenty-five years later, Savelle...Read more about Berkeley Law graduate pays tribute to his mother, Veronica Piper-Jefferson (MSW '95)

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona held a virtual roundtable to showcase the importance of providing...Read more about Daniela Medina (MSW '21) meets with US Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on importance of Pell Grants for incarcerated individuals

Daniela Medina still cherishes a 2019 graduation video that captures her walking across UC Berkeley’s Haviland Hall stage, receiving a...Read more about Passing the torch: Daniela Medina (MSW '21) continues legacy of her slain mentor

"The report shows that many Latinos have a high motivation to get vaccinated," said Kurt Organista, a professor of social welfare at the University of California, Berkeley. "They live in multigenerational households and cramped quarters. They want to protect their families."Read more about Kurt Organista in the New York Times: Many Unvaccinated Latinos in the U.S. Want the Shot, New Survey Finds

What a year. When we published our 2020 magazine last May we were all still adapting to the pandemic: getting the hang of Zoom, adjusting to wearing masks, and wondering whether Fall classes would be online or in person. The racial and economic injustices of the pandemic also were becoming more...Read more about A message from the Dean

Our warmest congratulations to this year's honorees.

Cinthia Hernandez

Diana Mucino and Thooraya Mused...Read more about Haviland Scholars and Achievement Awards

"The pandemic lays bare what we already knew," Associate Professor Tina Sacks said in a radio interview about the impact of racial inequity during the pandemic and the vaccine rollout.

In...Read more about A Change is Gonna Come: Race and Social Justice at Berkeley Social Welfare

Berkeley Social Welfare's Social Welfare, Sports, and Society Initiative — the first of its kind in a school of social welfare — will integrate social work knowledge and practice both with the sports industry and with community advocacy, policy, and research. The ultimate goal is to improve the...Read more about Sports as a tool for social change

For young families, especially those of color, early childhood learning problems can be especially stressful as they try to juggle school, work and family. Leticia Monroy has this ...Read more about MSW student Leticia Monroy on KQED: "There Is No Perfect Child"

We are proud and delighted to announce that Anu Manchikanti Gómez has been selected to receive the prestigious Chancellor's Award for Research in the Public Interest. This award honors research by faculty that addresses critical needs and issues affecting local, state, national, or global...Read more about Anu Manchikanti Gómez receives Chancellor's Award for Research in the Public Interest

As a medical social worker, Katie Savin was struck by the differences in patient experience between her work in the Stanford Medical Center ICU and in palliative care at San Francisco General. "The two hospitals were only one CalTrain stop apart, but it could have been two different countries....Read more about Politicizing Care: Katie Savin (PhD '21) examines equity, disability, and economic justice from a community-based lens

When the pandemic closed schools in March 2020, Brian McGhee found himself bagging breakfasts and lunches for students at West Oakland Middle School and providing other support at McClymonds High School. As a social worker, he knew that "once we feed families, then we can talk about educating...Read more about Planting seeds: Brian McGhee (BASW '91) on school social work and West Oakland community power

Bob Teague, Assistant Dean for Admissions and Student Services, is retiring this spring after 11 years at Berkeley Social Welfare and 22 years in the UC system. We asked him a few questions about his career and his time in Haviland Hall. This interview has been edited for length and clarity....Read more about Career Transitions: Bob Teague, Assistant Dean for Admissions and Student Services

David Pan is a first-year student in the AWELL (Advancing Health and Well-being across the Adult Lifespan) concentration; his current field placement is with the Community Health Resource Center and with Sutter Health: Pacific Primary Care.