May 2022 Commencement highlights
The School of Social Work returned to the university's Siegel Center for its first traditional May Commencement ceremony since 2019.
There were two graduates from the Ph.D. Program, 244 from the M.S.W. Program and 95 from the B.S.W. Program. Students were recognized for various school and university honors and awards (57), as scholarship recipients (49) and for earning certificates or certifications (23).
The keynote Commencement speaker was retiring Professor Kia J. Bentley, Ph.D., LCSW. Student speakers were Leah Bouchard (Ph.D.), Sophia Booker (M.S.W.) and Paige Wise (B.S.W.). Here are excerpts from their remarks:
Kia Bentley
“Who you work for is important. I have encouraged my students to work for the client instead. Instead of what, you say? Instead of the agency or facility or organization. Over the mandates, over the paperwork, over the bureaucracies that characterize modern practice. Take the time to slow down and live into what you said you wanted to do, being there for clients.” Watch the full remarks at https://vcussw.info/Bentley
Leah Bouchard
“There’s something special about everybody’s 8- and 80-year-old versions of themselves. We will be a million different people in our lifetimes. … They will have all done their part to lead to the next so, please, acknowledge them all. Honor them all. Yes, even the messiest versions of you. But especially the 8- and 80-year-old.” Watch the full remarks at https://vcussw.info/Bouchard
Sophia Booker
“Embrace action in the face of fear and discomfort. In life, we spend too much time being afraid. … The world is counting on us to be brave not just for the present, but for our future. How will you be brave in a transformative way? What will your action be in the face of fear?” Watch the full remarks at https://vcussw.info/Booker
Paige Wise
“The most valuable lesson that has revealed itself during this pandemic is truly how important human connection is. How at the end of the day, that’s what we do as social workers, we seek to connect with people, to understand people – maybe in a way that no one else has before.” Watch the full remarks at https://vcussw.info/Wise
That Summer feeling
Among the nearly 300 graduates who received degrees on May 13 at the Siegel Center, two stood out in the list of graduates: Summer Jones and … Summer Jones. That was not a typo.
Summer Caroline Jones earned her M.S.W. degree, while Summer Dawn Jones earned her B.S.W. degree. The two are not related, and did not know – or know of – each other until earlier in the semester.
“I was pleasantly surprised and thought it was just a cool occurrence,” Summer D. Jones says. “I have met a handful of other Summers before, and Jones is a very common name. However, I have never met another Summer Jones before.”
“I was so shocked,” Summer C. Jones says. “There were actually two other Summers in my tiny undergraduate school as well, but I’ve definitely never met another Summer Jones.”
We asked them how they wound up at the VCU School of Social Work.
Summer C. Jones: “I knew I wanted to be a trauma therapist, and so many of the clinicians I know from the area went to VCU, so it was an easy choice! And social work because I really resonate with the systemic approach to mental health.”
Summer D. Jones: “I actually did not come to VCU as a social work student. I started off pre-nursing and a series of unfortunate events led to me switching my major around October of my freshman year. I decided to reach out to a high school friend at James Madison University who I knew was majoring in social work. She had nothing but great things to say about social work, and that led me to look into the program at VCU. I decided to take the plunge and change my major. Although I was a bit apprehensive at first, that decision has been the best change in my college career and will have heavy influences on the rest of my life.”
Mother, daughter earn their M.S.W. degrees
"Ready to change the world!" the daughter said.
"One client at a time!" the mother responded.
It was now official for the two M.S.W. graduates and classmates, and they were in sync as they celebrated the occasion and the special bond.
The mother, Felicia Smith, began her journey to that master's degree decades before, slowed by complications during the pregnancy with that daughter, Raeven Smith, 26 years before.
Little did she know that when the wait was finally over, her daughter would be sharing the moment, and the degree.
Felicia earned her B.S.W. degree from VCU in 2020, and by that time, Raeven was reconsidering her career options after earning a B.S. in psychology and a minor in gender, sexuality and women’s studies from VCU in 2018.
“So I started doing my research,” Raeven said, “And I was like, ‘I think I’m about this, and I can make this little switch’ – not even a big switch because it’s always kind of been placed in my path. So my mom has been an inspiration toward becoming a social worker. My mom was like, ‘Come on, Raeven, we can do this together. Imagine: We can lean on each other when we need to, and we will both understand what we’re going through together.’ ”
Raeven’s time in the program affirmed her interest in working one-on-one with LGBTQIA+ individuals after field placements with the YWCA, Advocates for Richmond Youth and Side by Side in Richmond. Felicia plans to take her skills into the nonprofit world, helping veterans experiencing homelessness to connect with the resources they need. Field placements at the United Community in Fairfax, Virginia, and Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington, D.C., solidified that interest.
“This has brought us even closer … just to get to really know my daughter and see her in her authentic arena with her friends,” Felicia said, turning to her daughter, “And I guess for you to see me just be Felicia, not Mom.”
Commencement photo gallery
