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 to make change and make a difference.”
10/7/22
Jessica Mencia, MSW ’21, PhD Student
"The school exceeded my expectations—I’m proud to identify as a social worker."
12/20/22
Alexandria Meranto, MSW ’19
“With war come so many social problems that need to be addressed.”
12/8/20
Felecia Badio Merriam, MSW '16
"[The DREAM program is] a great place to make connections with other students and the Buffalo community."
9/7/18
Marna Metcalf, MBA/MSW '16
“My UB professors still mentor me. If I seek advice, they always connect me to resources.”
10/25/24
Faustina Palmatier, MSW ’19
“UB offered me all that I wanted but so much more.”
2/22/21
Haneul Park, MSW ’20
"Buffalo, for being a big city, there is such a homey feel to it."
9/7/18
Melissa Pietrkiewicz, MSW '12
“I can’t say enough good things about my experience with the School of Social Work.”
9/12/24
Thomas Power, MSW ’17 (Online cohort)
"I feel so lucky that I get to make a career out of helping people."
9/7/18
Victoria Rader, MSW '17
“UB actively supports independence and engagement, really following a networked approach to building relationships within and outside of the school.”
6/11/21
Sarah Richards-Desai, PhD ’24, MSW ’16
“Dignity is a huge part of my motivation.”
3/30/21
Shatorah Roberson, JD ’12, MSW ’11
"Coming to terms with your own humanity, with both its positive and negative aspects, will help you to grow personally and be a more effective social worker professionally."
9/27/18
Barbara Robertson, MSW '13
"I’m working in a goal-driven way to empower clients."
1/4/23
Julie Rockmaker, MSW ’07
"Witnessing the importance of social workers advocating and providing care to patients was transformative to preconceptions I had about who a social worker was and what they do."
3/4/24
Destiny Rust, MSW '24
"I think UB has a lot to offer the community."
3/4/24
Matthew Schwartz, DSW '23, MSW '18
"I’m developing a program to provide support for international students."
9/10/21
Nurit Fischer Shemer, PhD '19, MSW '13
"Every place I'd worked, patient care was number one."
6/27/24
Marilyn Z. Shine, MSW '74, BS '72
Marilyn Z. and Jerome D. Shine Endowment Fund
“Being able to educate people about problems they are unaware of while also being able to support individuals who have experienced those problems firsthand — that’s why I love social work.”
9/7/18
Julia Szprygada, MSW '13
[Regarding COVID-19] "With anything, it's really building resilience and ways to adapt and change."
10/6/20
Tara Taddio, MSW '08
"We wanted to serve people with dignity and respect, our core values."
9/7/18
Joyelle Tedeschi, MSW '08

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