Past Awardees

2014 Awardees

Lauren Brown
BSW Recipient

Lauren is a senior in the Honors College at the University of Akron in Akron, OH, with a double major in social work and Spanish. Her interest in social work began several years ago when her family became a licensed foster family. After 13 foster placements and one adoption, she was confident that the field of social work was for her. In addition, Lauren developed an interest in working with refugees after visiting Thailand on two separate occasions to work with refugees there. She spent the last two summers working extensively with refugees who live in Akron. Lauren is conducting her honors research project on the federal funding structure of the U.S. child welfare system. Lauren was accepted into Akron’s Title IV-E University Partnership Program in spring 2014 and is currently doing her field placement at Summit County Children Services. Lauren would like to pursue an MSW degree upon graduation and continue her career in the field of child welfare.

"I just want to thank [CSWE] again for the incredible opportunity to attend this conference. It was an honor to be among so many social workers and to have the privilege so early in my career to gain the knowledge, skills, and experiences that will best prepare me for a career in social work. Particularly with my focus in child welfare, I enjoyed attending numerous workshops in that track and have already been able to share my experience with peers and educators in my BSW program."

Monique Smith
MSW Recipient

Monique Smith is an honors graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she received her bachelor of arts in sociology with a minor in African American studies. She completed an honors thesis titled “The Importance of Social Relationships and Their Impact on African American Self-Reported Health.” During her undergraduate career, Monique spent most of her time volunteering with organizations where she could mentor, advise, and tutor students. After graduating, she served as a college adviser with the Carolina College Advising Corps for 2 years. She helped hundreds of students plan, apply, and pay for college. This position allowed her to flourish in her passion to inspire and motivate students. Currently, Monique is a candidate in the master of social work program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and her concentration is communities, management, and policy practice. She is exploring social work doctoral programs because she has a strong desire to teach and make an impact in rural communities in the South.

“I really enjoyed my experience at the 2014 APM in Tampa. I had the opportunity to network with many deans, professors, and professional social workers, which will be extremely valuable in my future career as a social worker. Additionally, I was able to gain in-depth information about pursing doctoral studies and how to prepare for that process and future employment. This was an invaluable experience and I am extremely thankful!”

Badiah Haffejee
PhD Recipient

Badiah is a doctoral candidate at the Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW) at the University of Denver. She received her MSW in 2011 from the University of Denver and is the recipient of the Jean Sinnock Award for her overall contribution to GSSW, her commitment to social justice, and her representation of the social work profession. She currently serves as the doctoral student representative on GSSW’s Advisory Council on Racial Diversity (ACoRD) and for Shades of Brown Alliance (SOBA). Badiah is currently a co-investigator in an adult service-learning project (refugee job training and mentorship) established between the ECDC/African Community Center in Denver, a refugee resettlement agency, and the Knoebel School of Hospitality Management at the University of Denver. Her work examines refugee outcomes; specifically, she looks at whether participation in this program is associated with increased social connectedness, self-efficacy, and improved psychological well-being.

"This scholarship afforded me the opportunity to attend several key topic sessions dedicated to issues of disparities including poverty, racism, race, and social justice, which are all relevant to both my research and teaching interests. Overall, this experience has been an invaluable opportunity for me to gain a first-hand look into (a) best practices for teaching advocacy and policy practice, (b) strategies for advancing our profession’s commitment to social justice and equity, and (c) efforts to bring forward the voices of underrepresented groups using narrative approaches such as digital storytelling and photovoice/journaling."