Laila Edwards, a senior social work student in the Social Welfare Program, has made history, becoming the first Black woman named to Team USA’s Olympic Hockey Team. Last year, Laila sat down with us to talk about balancing hockey with school. Since that time, she has helped the Badgers win a national championship — scoring …
During her 33 years working with Jewish Family and Community Services of Pittsburgh, Sandy Budd served many individuals and families. Many of her most poignant memories are of the Holocaust survivors she has helped care for in Pittsburgh. She provided case management and counseling to 150 survivors over the course of her years at the …
Assistant Professor Callie Freitag was recently featured on Marketplace discussing the impact of increasing the minimum wage in several states. “As for the impact on workers, Callie Freitag at the University of Wisconsin, Madison uses Seattle as an example. She said the effects there were modest. ‘The sky doesn’t fall and people don’t become rich,’ Freitag …
After receiving his PhD/MSSW from Social Work and MA from the La Follette School of Public Affairs, Steve Webster taught at the School of Social Work in the 1970s and 1980s. He was recently awarded the 2025 Alumni of Distinction Award from the La Follette School. Steve has made important contributions to advancing social justice …
Lissa Merkel, MSW ’14, a former student in our Mental Health Focus Area, and now a licensed clinical social worker in Los Angeles California, has faced major health challenges during her life. First, a lengthy stay in a hospital for emergency surgery, and four years ago, kidney failure, resulted in dialysis. She was recently fortunate …
Social workers step in when individuals need help or communities face gaps – offering support, advocacy, care, and thoughtful planning. That includes Brooke Barcena, who, as a second-year MSW student in 2019, helped create a victim-centered mass violence preparedness plan. Now, as Deputy Director of the Crime Response Program (CRP) within Victim Witness Services in …
Advanced Standing student Kat Froehlich, who is doing a Field Placement with the Area Agency on Aging of Dane County, moderated a panel on the experiences of unhoused older adults at The Human Side of Homelessness — a recent community event. Kat was quoted in this Cap Times article about the event and the increase …
Alum Marcy Bradley, who served on our Board of Visitors, has been a generous supporter of the school for many years. Much of her support is targeted at diversity and social justice. Marcy worked as a social worker Meriter Retirement Services (now Capitol Lakes) in Madison before retiring. Recently, Mel Morgenbesser, head of our alumni …
Jenny Braunginn, MSSW, CISW, Senior Teaching Faculty, has co-authored a second book for the Oxford Workshop Series with the School Social Work Association of America titled, Emerging Trends in School Social Work Practice: Responding to Rapid Change in Educational Ecosystems, with the chapter, “Harnessing Technology to Expand Access and Enhance Engagement.” Braunginn was asked by …
Matt Hanson served in the Army National Guard for nearly a decade – on a mostly fulltime/active duty basis and rising to the rank of captain. At one point, he and the soldiers under his command helped facilitate the integration and resettlement of 13,000 Afghan evacuees after the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan. Now, Matt …