alumni

In Memoriam: Leslie Hartrich Leighninger (DSW, '81)

June 7, 2024

Headshot of Leslie Leighninger The School of Social Welfare commemorates the extraordinary life of alum Leslie Hartrich Leighninger (1943-2024).

Dr. Leighninger was recently honored as a...

Begonia Herbert-Ramirez: Finding a Home in Haviland Hall

May 24, 2019

Headshot of Begonia Herbert RamirezThe journey to success is rarely a smooth and linear path. For UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare undergraduate Begonia Herbert-Ramirez, the path to becoming a University Medal nominee with a 4.0 GPA was particularly trying. Through the ups and downs, however, were two things that kept her going.

The first was her intellectual...

Law in Service to the Public Good: Greg Evans (MSW '86)

May 31, 2019

Headshot of Greg EvansMeeting Greg Evans (MSW '86) in the high-rise office of the McGuireWoods law firm in downtown San Francisco, you wouldn't guess that he opened his first law office in a homeless shelter. As a law student in South Bend, Indiana, he had worked with the school's Dean and the community to open a shelter in an abandoned department store using federal McKinney Act funding, and he ran the South Bend...

Commencement Speaker Ella Callow (BA '97)

May 24, 2019

Headshot of Ella CallowElla Callow, this year's commencement speaker for Berkeley Social Welfare, has spent her career tackling one of the central questions of inclusion. "How do barriers impact the well-being of individuals with disabilities? And how can the system better serve these families so that we're being true to our mandates as an inclusive society, and also so that we...

Alumni in the News: Mu Sochua (MSW '81), VP of outlawed opposition party, returns to Cambodia

November 7, 2019

Mu Sochua (MSW '81), one of the most prominent women in Cambodian national politics, returns to Cambodia despite probable imprisonment as the Vice President of the outlawed Cambodia National Rescue Party.

Park Neung-hoo (PhD ‘98) honored with Elise and Walter A. Haas International Award

July 17, 2020

Park Neunghoo laughing while creating art with childrenDr. Park Neung-hoo, Minister of Health and Welfare of South Korea, has been selected as the recipient of the 2020 Elise and Walter A. Haas International Award. UC Berkeley's Haas International Award Committee bestows this award annually to a Cal alum who is a native, citizen and resident of a country other than the United States, and who has a...

Alumni in Action: Fernando Cheung (PhD '91)

Headshot of Fernando CheungFrom Immigrants' Rights in Oakland to Pro-Democratic Protests in Hong Kong's Umbrella Revolution, Fernando Cheung (PhD '91) Champions Justice

Fernando Cheung earned his doctoral degree at Berkeley Social Welfare in 1991 while serving as the executive director of the Oakland Chinese Community Council. His advocacy work on behalf of immigrant communities was...

Berkeley Social Welfare Loyalty Award and Service Award: Honoring Cynthia and Peter Hecker and David Lindeman

October 2, 2020

Every year, the School of Social Welfare recognizes a few of its most steadfast supporters. These awards are usually given out in person at the annual Dean's Circle Dinner, but in-person recognition was not possible this year and we are honoring the recipients virtually.

Cynthia and Peter Hecker smilingLoyalty Award

The loyalty award acknowledges a long tradition of financial support of...

2022 Berkeley Social Welfare Distinguished Alumni Awards

September 12, 2022
Headshot of Bridget FreisthlerBridget Freisthler, PhD'03

Currently Professor and Associate Dean of Research and Faculty Development at the Ohio State University College of Social Work, her areas of expertise include child abuse and neglect, drug and alcohol use, drug distribution systems, geographic information systems (GIS), spatial analysis and service availability....