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#MSWMondays: Get to know #BCSSW student Antonio Pitti-Camacho!

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘀: He/Him/His
𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺: Full-time MSW Program/Clinical
𝗙𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲: Mental Health
𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗻: New Haven, Connecticut

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗖𝗦𝗦𝗪?
Edifying. BCSSW has helped me grow through clinical training, field education, mentorship, and community. As a Spier Fellow and Student Collective leader, I have deepened my passion for aging and the LGBTQ+ community.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗖𝗦𝗦𝗪?
At Emmanuel College, mentors encouraged me to look into BCSSW as I felt called to work with older adults and families facing serious illness. After graduation, I worked with LGBTQ+ older adults in New Haven, connecting my passion for aging with my identity as a gay man. A generous scholarship and BC’s Jesuit tradition made BCSSW the clear choice.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗖𝗦𝗦𝗪 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗿?
Being a Spier Fellow, leading Spectrum, and co-leading a queer men’s group have been especially meaningful. I am completing my advanced placement at Hebrew Rehabilitation Center, deepening my interests in hospice and palliative care.

𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿?
Death, Grief, and Bereavement with John Franchitto has been my favorite course. As an aspiring hospice and palliative care social worker, I did not anticipate how transformative and spiritually enriching it would be. John challenged us to reflect on grief and loss in our own lives, which I believe is invaluable for social workers, and the course strengthened my sense that accompanying people through serious illness, loss, and the end of life is the work I feel called to do.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗦𝗪?
Professor Tina Matz has been a wonderful mentor through Spier and Research Methods. I value Dean Teresa Schirmer’s mentorship and my friendships with classmates.

#BC360
@iamapitti by @bcssw

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6 days ago

The #BCSSW Doctoral Program recently hosted its annual student and faculty Speed Networking Lunch, bringing our doctoral community together for an afternoon of connection and conversation! 🦅

💬 The event provided an opportunity for students and faculty to build relationships, explore shared research interests, and discuss professional development in a relaxed and welcoming setting. These connections are an important part of the doctoral experience at BCSSW, where faculty mentorship, interdisciplinary collaboration, and research with purpose are at the heart of the program. This event is always a highlight of the year!

📚 Interested in pursuing a PhD in Social Work? The BCSSW Doctoral Program prepares the next generation of scholars, researchers, and educators to advance social work and social welfare. The four-year, fully funded program offers close faculty mentorship, research opportunities, and professional development support.

✅ Applications are now open
🗓️ Application Deadline: December 1
➡️ Learn more about the program and application requirements: bc.edu/content/bc-web/schools/ssw/academics/phd-program.html by @bcssw

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12 days ago

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13 days ago

A meaningful morning with the #BCSSW Global Practice community and Aziza’s Place, reflecting on partnership, field learning, and what global practice looks like in action. 🌎

Many thanks to Aziza’s Place founder Amjad Ghori and Grace Jenkins, MSW ’26, for sharing their experiences, insights, and perspectives with us. We’re grateful for the opportunity to learn from this partnership and the work happening in the field.

#GlobalPractice @azizasplace #bc360 by @bcssw

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16 days ago

🍂 First day of fall = new season, new beginnings, new possibilities 🍁

Thinking about an MSW? Join us on Tuesday, September 29, for our first virtual MSW Information Session and get the inside scoop on the #BCSSW program—our pathways, field education, certificates, and where an MSW can take you.

🗓️ Tuesday, September 29
🕛 12:00-1:00 p.m. ET
💻 Virtual
🔗 Register here: https://apply.bc.edu/register/September29_InfoSession or see the link in our bio

#firstdayoffall taken in Boston College by @bcssw

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19 days ago

#MSWMondays: Get to know #BCSSW student Veronica Ruiz!

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘀: She/Her
𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺: Full-time MSW Program/Clinical
𝗙𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲: Mental Health
𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗻: Lynn, MA

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗖𝗦𝗦𝗪?
Transformative. My experience at BCSSW has challenged me to grow both personally and professionally. I came into the program with a strong desire to help others, but my education has pushed me to think more deeply about what meaningful, ethical, and compassionate support really looks like.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗖𝗦𝗦𝗪?
My decision to attend BCSSW was influenced by someone who has had a profound impact on my life and who is also a graduate of the program. Seeing the compassion, thoughtfulness, and integrity she brings to her work gave me an example of the kind of social worker I hope to become.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘂𝗽𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺?
My long-term goal is to become a licensed clinical social worker and eventually open my own private practice, where I can create a space for clients to feel genuinely heard, understood, and supported.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗦𝗪?
The relationships I’ve developed with my classmates have been the most meaningful. I’ve really valued being surrounded by people who are open-minded, compassionate, and willing to have honest conversations about difficult topics. Even when our experiences or perspectives differ, there is a shared willingness to listen and learn from one another.

𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗱𝗱?
Outside of school and work, I love spending time outdoors, hiking, traveling, rollerskating, trying new creative hobbies like pottery and crocheting, and spending time with my dog, Apollo. I’m also a big fan of crime podcasts, journaling, and anything that gives me an opportunity to learn, reflect, or explore somewhere new.

#BC360
@veronica_ruiz343 by @bcssw

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20 days ago

A few snapshots from the #BCSSW new student summit! The focus for this year is "Accompaniment in Action and Radical Kinship." The incoming student summit is one of the most formative experiences, taking care of students intentionally- intellectually, socially, and spiritually. Students are given space and guidance to engage in honest conversations, build connections, and reflect. 🦅

📷: Tim Correira by @bcssw

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23 days ago

Welcome to #BCSSW’s newest—and largest—cohort of students in the Latinx Leadership Initiative!

The new cohort, 31 students strong, hails from more than a dozen cities and towns across Massachusetts as well as from New York, Texas, California, Illinois, Connecticut, Minnesota, and Florida.

Many of the newest members of the LLI trace their cultural heritage to countries and territories across Latin America and the Caribbean, including Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Guatemala, El Salvador, Bolivia, Peru, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela. The cohort also includes one student from Italy and two students who will become Double Eagles.

The breadth of professional and lived experiences represented within this group will enrich the LLI community as students develop into the next generation of social workers.

🦅 #bc360 by @bcssw

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24 days ago

Boston College, led by #BCSSW, the Connell School of Nursing, and the Clough School of Theology and Ministry, recently piloted a course focused on interprofessional palliative care, which provides seriously ill people with relief from symptoms, pain, and illness-related stress.

Organizers said the 15-week, non-credit course, offered last spring to master's students, could be a model for fostering the interdisciplinary and interprofessional collaboration that animates the palliative care field.

“Palliative care is more important than ever, but there’s often a misunderstanding of what it is and how it works,” said BCSSW Associate Professor Christina Matz, a co-leader of the pilot. “Our goal is to help social work, nursing, and theology and ministry students understand the philosophy of palliative care, and how we can use our respective skills and backgrounds in concert with one another to support patients and their loved ones.”

The curriculum integrated case studies, reflective practice, and peer learning to support culturally responsive team-based care, with an emphasis on collaborative communication, ethical decision making, and person-centered approaches to serious illness. Among the topics covered were Advance Care Planning; Pain and Symptom Management; Spiritual and Cultural Care; Care Near the End of Life; Ethical, Legal, and Financial Issues; Pregnancy and Infant Loss; and Dementia and Pediatric Palliative Care.

Read more at the 🔗 in our bio.
#palliativecare #socialwork by @bcssw

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#MSWMondays: Get to know #BCSSW student Hannah Kershner!

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘀: She/Her/Hers
𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺: Full-time MSW Program/Macro
𝗙𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲: Afrocentric Social Work
𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗻: Atlanta

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗖𝗦𝗦𝗪?
Joyful. I have met some of my favorite people at BCSSW! It has introduced lifelong friendships and connections that bring so much joy to my life.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗖𝗦𝗦𝗪?
I knew I wanted to do non-profit work based on social justice and discovered the Macro track. I was drawn to how it focuses on advocacy and programming through a lens of cultural inclusion and celebration.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗖𝗦𝗦𝗪 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗿?
It has been so fulfilling! The people in this program are truly some of the most caring and lovely people ever. I love going to every event hosted by different departments and the Student Collective because it gives me the chance to have fun while making new friends and learning about this field.

𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿?
Leadership and Social Transformation with Professor King has been my favorite class. We got so many opportunities to practice what we were learning through activities, case studies, and by leading different class sessions. I truly think everyone should try to take a class with Professor King!

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘂𝗽𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺?
I hope to work in programming at a non-profit based in social justice and DEI work. I want to work in a more mezzo space, less policy and more people!

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗦𝗪?
My best friend Claire. We met when she sat at my table at orientation and have been inseparable since.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘀?
The social work lounge! You can usually find me there if I’m not in class.

@hannah.kershner
#BC360 by @bcssw

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“Can we use artificial intelligence to help people sustainably adopt new technologies, improve their lives, and reduce their vulnerability to climate and environmental risks?”

That is the primary question driving the research of Praveen Kumar, an associate professor at #BCSSW who is exploring how AI can help vulnerable communities in India prepare for climate-related threats.

Kumar and his research team are pursuing answers on two fronts in India. In the rural and tribal communities in Odisha and Jharkhand, they’re studying how AI-powered digital tools can help people understand climate risks and make locally informed decisions about how to adapt. In the urban areas of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, they’re developing AI-powered early warning systems designed to help communities prepare for extreme heat.

In Odisha and Jharkhand, Kumar and his colleagues are working with communities whose livelihoods depend on shared resources such as water, pastures, and farmlands. The researchers are studying whether a suite of digital applications—Gramify, Samaaja, Know Your Landscape, and Commons Connect—can move beyond the delivery of static weather reports to help residents document changing conditions and participate in decisions about managing those resources.

Kumar’s team is using a decision-making framework called fuzzy cognitive mapping to ask communities how they understand climate risks, what information they need, and what they want the apps to provide. The approach, he said, enables residents to identify how these tools could better support their decisions.

His other project tackles another urgent threat: extreme heat in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. In partnership with the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation and the Indian Institute of Science, he is using AI to build hyper-local risk models that combine real-time meteorological data with health and social indicators to identify communities that are especially vulnerable to extreme heat. Instead of just predicting the weather, the AI models the vulnerability of specific neighborhoods.

Read more at the 🔗 in our bio.
#AI #climatechange by @bcssw

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a month ago

✅ #BCSSW Field Education Orientation!

Special thanks to today's speakers:

Welcome:
Sarah Hood, MSW, LICSW
Assistant Dean, Field Education
Boston College School of Social Work

Scott D. Easton, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Academic Planning
MSW Program Director
Boston College School of Social Work

Gautam N. Yadama, PhD
Dean
Boston College School of Social Work

Keynote Speaker:
Yvonne Castañeda, LICSW, MSW
Director, Community-Based Initiatives
Boston College School of Social Work

Panel Moderator:
Ximena Soto, LICSW
Assistant Director, Latinx Leadership Initiative
Boston College School of Social Work

Panelists:
Erika Frazier Hamel, MSW, LICSW
Clinical Social Worker, Martha Eliot Health Center

Claire Donohue, JD, MSW
Associate Dean for Experiential Learning
Boston College Law School

Brian Gonsalves, MSW, LICSW
Boston Public Schools Social Worker

Dr. Scune Carrington, DHSc, MSW '09, LICSW
Chief Clinical Officer and Wellness Clinic Director
New American Association of Massachusetts (NAAM) by @bcssw

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a month ago