Our Alumni and Students

Our alumni and students share their stories of why they joined the social work field — and how they are making a positive impact through their work.

All Profiles

“I want our society and world to be better, and I will keep fighting for that — with love, humility and compassion.”
11/3/23
Jessica Al Kadi, MSW ’23
“There are so many opportunities here at UB. Take advantage of them, and commit yourself to lifelong learning.”
2/23/23
Rita Andolina, MSW ’88
“Denise Krause, Hilary Weaver, Charles Syms, Diane Elze, Peter Sobota and Glenn Frost... They were amazing professors, and I can't thank them enough for pouring into me.”
2/23/23
Esther Annan, MSW ’06
“I discovered the great diversity and opportunities available when attending and graduating from the UBSSW.”
2/23/23
Terence Askew, MSW ’12
“Field put real meat on the bones of things I had been learning in my classes.”
2/24/23
Caitlin Beck, JD/MSW ’20
“I have to work full time, so the part-time MSW option really offered me the chance to gain new skills.”
8/4/23
Samantha Bowes, MSW ’23
“People are more resilient than they think.”
2/23/23
Brianna Bozeman, MSW ’18
“I was looking for interprofessional collaboration; Social Impact Fellows offered the perfect opportunity.”
2/23/23
Cheney Brockington, MSW ’19
“I knew that social work would align with my strengths.”
2/23/23
Dan Calabrese, MSW ’18
“In my opinion, social workers are uniquely suited to helping medicine transform itself.”
2/24/23
Jennifer Carlson, MSW ’94
“Through my fieldwork at Lake Shore Behavioral Health, I was able to learn and observe evidence-based practices like motivational interviewing.”
2/24/23
Kali Carpenter, MSW ’13
“I continue to be pleasantly surprised at how dialed in I am to being prepared for both social work and my specific niche.”
4/13/22
Erin Casciano, MSW '23
“I wanted to use my voice to address how immigrants were being portrayed.”
2/24/23
Hector Chaidez Ruacho, MSW ’20
“It was an important realization that you can get close to people despite a huge difference between you.”
2/24/23
Marie Clarcq, MSW ’11
“With a professional mentor, students can gain a realistic view of the profession; they don’t have to reinvent the wheel—kind of like built-in career counseling.”
2/24/23
Bonnie Collins, MSW ’80
Adjunct Instructor Emeritus
“The UBSSW really takes pride in adequately preparing students for a career in social work.”
2/24/23
Jose Correa, MSW ’03
“Shortly after transitioning to the School of Social Work, I realized it was exactly what I wanted to do.”
8/9/22
Pabitra Dahal, BA/MSW ’22
“Be open to the idea that you might be wrong—remember that your experience with the world is different than other people’s.”
6/9/23
Victor Diaz, MSW ’17
“Most of my hands-on learning came from my SSW field placements.”
6/9/23
Jennifer Ditta, MSW ’00
“Social work, for me, is about loving people so deeply and fiercely that their success is our collective success.”
1/19/24
Yvonne DuBois, MSW ’09