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BC School of Social Work

@bcssw

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🦅 | 𝗕𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸
🎓 | Master of Social Work & PhD
📍 | Chestnut Hill, MA
#bcssw

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Dr. Arline Geronimus is a public health expert who coined the term “weathering” to describe the effects of systemic oppression—including racism and classism—on the body. Geronimus joins the Lowell Humanities Series to reflect on her concept of weathering three years later and its meaning for health in today’s changing world.

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Well, this is happening, ya'll!

I'm incredibly honored to share that I've been selected as the 2026 Boston College School of Social Work Distinguished Alumni Award recipient!

More than 20 years after graduating from BCSSW, being recognized by my alma mater feels incredibly meaningful and full circle.

From clinical social work and mentorship to building Rising Hope Counseling & Wellness and creating opportunities for healing, connection, and joy through Creative Wellness, this journey has taken me places I never imagined.

I'm especially grateful for my team, the clinicians and collaborators who are part of Rising Hope today, as well as those who have been part of the journey along the way. Thank you for bringing your gifts, perspectives, and care to this work.

And to my family, friends, mentors, colleagues, students, and communities who have supported and shaped me throughout the years—thank you!

I'm proud of this work. And I'm proud of me! ❤️

#BCSSW #SocialWork #RisingHopeCounselingAndWellness

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@BostonCollege awarded two members of our community while recognizing two meaningful legacies, of special note as Hispanic Heritage Month begins today.

Janely Cruz Fuentes '27, co-president of the Mexican Association of Students @masparabc, was awarded the 2026 Saint Oscar A. Romero Scholarship, which recognizes a BC junior whose life demonstrates the values and ideals of the martyred Salvadoran archbishop. Finalists are chosen based on superior academic achievement, extracurricular leadership, community service, and involvement with the Hispanic/Latinx community and issues both on and off campus.

Yvonne C. Castañeda, MSW’18, director of Community-Based Initiatives at the BC School of Social Work @bcssw, was honored with the 2026 Rev. John A. Dinneen, SJ, Hispanic Alumni Community Service Award, which recognizes a BC alum of Latin American descent whose work and service reflects Archbishop Romero’s ideals and the late Fr. Dinneen’s commitment, leadership, and service to the Latino community.

“It is really a profound honor to receive an award that venerates St. Oscar Romero,” Yvonne said. “He believed that true faith requires that we stand with those who are suffering, even when it comes with a great deal of personal risk. I try to do this every single day, and it’s not easy, and I’m not perfect at it, but nevertheless, I’m not going to quit.”

See the outstanding achievements of these two BC Eagles leading to the prestigious recognition 👉 link in bio or bit.ly/bcromero26 A photo of Janely Cruz Fuentes holding a plaque.

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TOMORROW! Join us for Vaccines, Ethics, and the Common Good at Boston College!

📅 Friday, September 18, 2026 ⏰ 8:30 AM–6:30 PM 📍 Corcoran Commons

The conference will bring together experts and community members to explore the ethical, social, and public health dimensions of vaccines and their role in promoting the common good.

Registration is required! Scan the QR code or register here: https://tinyurl.com/VaccineConf

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Comment “LICENSE” and we’ll DM you the link to register

#mswcommunity
#socialworker
#lmsw
#lcsw

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Are You A Social Worker? 🎓
Are You Looking To Do Something More With Your Career? 🪪
Join Our Team. 🤝
To Inquire, Email Us Today! 📬

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This past academic year, #BCPEP had the privilege of working with an intern from BC's School of Social Work. @BCSSW

From the moment Hannah joined us last fall, though, she became much more than an intern.

Hannah has helped strengthen reentry support for our students continuing their education at Chestnut Hill; played a central role in building our new Writing Center for students on the inside; and challenged us to think more intentionally about what it means to support the whole student. Her work has shaped new initiatives AND the way we approach them.

Although her internship has come to an end, Hannah's impact on BCPEP is lasting. The care, thoughtfulness, and steady commitment she brought to our students and our community have made this program stronger, and we're grateful to count her among the BCPEP forever family.

Thank you, Hannah. We're excited to see where your work and studies take you next!

Please help us show @hcookiess some love ❤️

@eaglesbridingthegap @BostonCollege

#BostonCollege #BCSSW #highereducationinprison #higheredinprison #consortiumfortheliberalartsinprison #family

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In Boston, one in nine students experienced homelessness last year, a number that has been rising steadily since 2021. Behind those numbers are families navigating impossible choices between food and rent, instability that disrupts learning and the strain these cause every day.

In this new Boston Globe op-ed, our President and CEO Marty Martinez and Boston College School of Social Work @bcssw Dean Gautam Yadama highlight new research that shows early intervention not only increases housing stability, but it also reduces chronic absenteeism and improves the wellbeing of children and families.

Over a six-year period, we studied the results of the Early Homelessness Intervention Program, launched in 2019 by FamilyAid and Boston Public Schools to help stabilize families before they reach crisis and prevent homelessness.

Since 2019, the program has served more than 10,000 children and parents, representing 3,000 families, with more than 1,300 of these families moving on to more stable housing.

As our communities face unprecedented uncertainty and strains on the safety net so many rely on, understanding the services and support networks that keep families housed is more critical than ever.

Read the full op-ed at our link in bio.

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MSW 🎓

At dinner, you said your favorite part of this chapter was that we got to experience it together, as a family, from the very beginning.

The welcome lunch when it was still just the two of us, finding out we were expecting during that first semester, the classes Liam and I tagged along to, campus lunches, long nights spent working on projects, and how everyone at #BCSSW knew Liam and always asked about him, and finally receiving your diploma with our son in your arms 💛

The part I’ll hold onto most is watching you grow into yourself even more through all of this, more confident, more grounded, and somehow even more extraordinary. You continue to remind me that when you care deeply about something, there’s truly nothing beyond your reach.

Te amo infinito

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Please allow me to re-introduce myself: I am Grace A. Jenkins, MSW 🎓

I am incredibly proud to announce that I have graduated with my Master of Social Work from Boston College School of Social Work, with a focus in Global Practice and Macro Social Work through the Advanced Standing program. I am deeply honored to have received the Leo P. Haley and Reverend John Essien Memorial Award, the Global Practice program’s highest honor, as well as an Academic Excellence Award for maintaining a 4.0 GPA throughout my studies at Boston College.

I could not have imagined the growth that would take place during my 1.5 years at BC. In my first year, I balanced being a full-time student while working full-time in a high-intensity child protection setting. I can truly say I spent that year living and breathing social work practice day in and day out. Even then, I knew the dedication I was putting into this work, into others, and into my own development would have profound impacts.

This final semester, I completed a full-time global field placement with Aziza’s Place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, focusing on program development and child safeguarding. I also had the opportunity to volunteer on humanitarian medical missions to displacement camps, which deepened my understanding of crisis contexts. My time in Cambodia strengthened my skills and reaffirmed my commitment to global child protection and safeguarding.

I am thankful for every peer, mentor, client, colleague, friend, family member, loved one, and every single person I have had the opportunity to engage with throughout my journey as an MSW student.

While this concludes one chapter, I know it is truly just the beginning. I am eager for what comes next and for the ways I will continue to contribute to communities and systems with empathy, passion, and humanity.

Please check out my new instagram dedicated to social work: @grace.a.jenkins

(Dress custom made in Cambodia by @domleistore)

@bcssw @bostoncollege @azizasplace @masocialworkers

#MSW #globalsocialwork #macrosocialwork #bcssw #graduation2026

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So grateful for this time spent at Boston.

Firstly, I would like to thank the Jesuit community at Saint Mary’s for their hospitality at Ellacuria House, and their superior, Claudio, for his warm welcome.

Secondly, to my great friend Alejandro Olayo, SJ, on his new role as a lecturer and researcher at the School of Social Work. To my fellow Jesuits studying at BC: Juan, Pedro, Alex and Oscar. To Meg Guider, Neto Valiente, Maryanne Loughry, Lisa Cahill, Peter Martin, James Keenan SJ, Patrick Fleming, Gautam Yadama, Chris Larsen, Jane Eiselein,... and to others I didn’t get to see, such as Daisy Gómez, Rocío Calvo and Tomeu Estelrich.

Thirdly, the conference on the reality of Migration and Refugee issues in Europe and the response from JRS in Europe. I am very grateful for the attendance and subsequent dialogue with so many significant people at the university across various schools and faculties: the School of Social Work, Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Theology and Ministry, Global Engagement, the Jesuit Institute, the International Studies Programme, and the Saint Mary’s Jesuit community, amongst others.

Fourthly, the various meetings at the University with deans, directors of institutes and Jesuits, sharing our work in Europe.

Fifth, spending time with and meeting migrant communities, mainly Salvadorans, at St Benedict’s Parish in Somerville. Fr Alejandro, Deacon José, and the whole community are a blessing to me, and I always carry them in my heart.

Sixth, for the warm welcome and genuine interest shown at the presentations of the book #SerPuertaAbierta at Boston College in Chestnut Hill and at Saint Benedict’s Parish in Somerville.

Seventh, I would also like to express my gratitude for the visits and encounters in Cambridge, at Harvard University, along the Charles River; strolling through Harvard Yard, the Kennedy School of Government, MIT, and the Lafarge Jesuit community where I lived for several years.

Returning to Boston and BC is always like coming home; that home we all build over the years; those places and people who are already part of our lives.

Thank you very much for your hospitality, support and friendship

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At United Way, we’ve long-believed that school-housing partnerships are a promising strategy to improve families’ housing stability, well-being, and children’s academic outcomes.

Last week, we released new research with the Boston College School of Social Work that provides the most comprehensive evidence to date about the value of school-housing partnerships in helping to prevent family homelessness.

The research centered on the Early Homelessness Prevention and Intervention program, a partnership between Boston Public Schools and FamilyAid that was originally launched in 2019 with support from United Way.

The research showed:

🏠 Housing stability among participating families increased from 49 percent to 84 percent living in their own homes.

📉 Chronic absenteeism among participating students declined significantly from 61% to 52%.

✅ Parents also reported improvements in physical and mental health, including reduced anxiety and depression.

This research confirms what we’ve seen on the ground in Boston and other gateway cities like Lynn and Lawrence. When schools and housing providers work together to ensure access to essential needs, families can stabilize and children are better supported to succeed.

The findings show that these approaches work, and together, we must find ways to scale them with urgency. Read more and join us at the link in our bio.

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