Social Work Department News
We would like to extend our warmest congratulations to the nearly 100 California State University - East Bay Master of Social Work graduates of 2026! It was a joy to celebrate with you. You have already achieved so much during your time in our program, and we are excited about your future. Thank you for your hard work, persistence, and commitment to serving our communities!
And thank you to the faculty and staff for supporting our graduates in making it to the finish line!
Congratulations to Beth Johnson (CSUEB MSW '22) on receiving the Outstanding MSW Graduate Award!
Congratulations to Beth Johnson (CSUEB MSW '22) on receiving the outstanding MSW Graduate Award! This is our first year offering these awards, thanks to Dr. Wendy Ng, Dean of the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences!
Beth was nominated by a faculty member who said, "Beth is outstanding for the challenges she has had to overcome to complete this journey. She is an outstanding representative for CSUEB as our student rep that pulled together the CalSWEC Summit Series along with IV-E students across the state. She never misses an IV-E Workshop, always actively engages in any of our training activities, and is a great cheerleader for her cohort in these challenging times."
Beth shared the following comment after receiving the award:
"I want to thank the faculty and staff of CSU East Bay for this award. It has been quite the journey getting a master's degree in a pandemic, but I did it. Coming from a family of 11, it has not been easy. I am also the first girl and first generation to graduate with an associate's degree, a bachelor's, and now a Master's. I honor my mother and father because they were the first examples of actual social work. The seeds to give back to society were planted a long time ago when I witnessed my parents feeding the needy, providing clothing, and providing a home for individuals. As a young girl, I was pricked in my heart and knew this was something I wanted to do.
Unfortunately, I was in the system early and felt lost and confused, with no one to help me navigate. Not until later did I receive the tools to thrive in life. Now that I have my credentials, many doors will be open to help misrepresented marginalized communities fight against social injustices and help keep families together when deemed safe. I plan to use my degree to help bring individuals out of the dark to the light to help future generations be better versions of themselves. In addition, I will obtain my Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) while working at Alameda County Social Services as a Child Welfare Worker II. It is such a blessing considering Alameda County is where I was born.
It is a great honor to receive the Outstanding MSW Graduate Award. My heart is full of joy, and I am grateful to the CSU East Bay faculty and staff for this great privilege."
CSUEB MSW Alum Prem Pariyar and his co-authors Bikash Gupta and Dr. Ruvani Publishing a Paper
Congratulations to CSUEB MSW Alum Prem Pariyar and his co-authors Bikash Gupta and Dr. Ruvani Fonseka on the publication of their article, “When I tell them my caste, silence descends”: Caste-based Discrimination among the Nepali Diaspora in the San Francisco Bay Area, USA. Prem worked on this project as a part of the year-long community-based research course. Dr. Fonseka was his instructor. (She was working as a lecturer at CSUEB and is now an Assistant Professor at SJSU here
Congratulations to Dr. Khaw
We are very pleased to share that one of our new part-time lecturers (and long time community partner to our department), Jennifer Khaw, successfully defended her dissertation a few days ago, and now has a PhD in Social Work from Smith College. Her dissertation is titled Perceptions of Clinical Supervision Held by Early-Career Social Workers During Times of Extreme Stress: A Thematic Analysis.
New book by CSUEB MSW Alum and Lecturer Michaella Conteh
Congratulations to CSUEB MSW Alum and Lecturer Michaella Conteh on her book, How to Survive as a Child Welfare Social Worker.
"How to Survive as a Child Welfare Social Worker was written with both the novice and seasoned social worker in mind. On the pages of this book is a guide on bridging the knowledge gained within the classroom with the realities of the work often hidden and not discussed. You will receive an actual hands-on approach from an experienced social worker who shares the pros and cons of the trade along with insight on how to navigate the stages of this rewarding career." (Official book summary)
Cal State East Bay MSW Students and Faculty National Association of Social Workers(NASW)- California Legislative Lobby Days 2022)
On April 3-4, over 70 CSUEB MSW Students and Faculty participated in NASW-CA Lobby Days. Students learned about the state policy process and practiced legislative advocacy. Here's a pic of some of our students and faculty taken during a break. You can learn more about the event here.
Practicum Director LeQuita Carroll-McKoy Awarded Fellowship
The Department of Social Work is pleased to share that Practicum Director LeQuita Carroll-McKoy has been selected for a Perez Research Fellowship with Bright Research Group. Bright's website describes the fellowship as "a one-year stipended fellowship for graduate students of color who want to learn about and contribute to the field of applied research and consulting. Fellows participate in a range of evaluation, capacity building and user research projects, while also building their professional networks. We received overwhelming interest in the fellowship and are pleased to announce our fourth cohort of 2022 fellows!"
Prof. Carroll-McKoy is "pursuing her Doctorate degree in Educational Leadership at CSU East Bay, with a research focus on Institutional Culture and the Retention of African American women who are pursuing the Master’s degree" (Bright website bio)
Please join us in congratulating Prof. Carroll-McKoy!
NASW Social Work Talks Podcast with CSUEB MSW Candidate Rio Bauce
CSUEB MSW Candidate Rio Bauce and Kyle Temple, LCSW, Senior Director at the Stonewall Project in San Francisco, talk about their work offering substance use treatment for gay, bisexual, queer, trans men, and other men who have sex with men. Listen to the podcast here.