{"id":252280,"date":"2026-08-29T12:45:41","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T16:45:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=252280"},"modified":"2026-08-29T12:45:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T16:45:41","slug":"new-social-work-students-encouraged-to-embrace-the-possibilities-of-the-profession","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2026\/08\/new-social-work-students-encouraged-to-embrace-the-possibilities-of-the-profession\/","title":{"rendered":"New Social Work Students Encouraged to Embrace the Possibilities of the Profession"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former UConn Master of Social Work student Dawn Brown remembers attending a social work conference as a graduate student and hearing people say, \u201cI don\u2019t want to let people know I\u2019m a social worker.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a social work student at the time, I was shocked and reminded that our words have a profound impact on the pride students will have in our profession,\u201d Brown said. \u201cI believe there\u2019s a collective power and responsibility in not only saying who we are, but in demonstrating our profession\u2019s values through our work and presence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dawn
Dawn Brown, executive director of the National Association of Social Workers Connecticut and Maine chapters, led the Convocation’s keynote address.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Brown, executive director of the National Association of Social Workers Connecticut and Maine chapters, emphasized the importance of professional identity\u2014and the growing need for social workers\u2014during the UConn School of Social Work\u2019s annual Convocation on Aug. 28.<\/p>\n

As the event\u2019s keynote speaker, Brown welcomed 123 new Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work students who gathered in person at the Wadsworth Atheneum, along with another 160 students participating online, including members of the Stamford cohort. These students are among almost 7,400 new undergraduates joining UConn Nation this week(opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>\u00a0coming from 158 of Connecticut\u2019s 169 towns and cities, along with 48 states and 78 countries.<\/p>\n

Brown noted that there were approximately 715,000 social workers in the nation in 2020, and that number is predicted to reach 800,000 by the end of the decade.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat would be 800,000 healers, social justice warriors, critical thinkers, research professionals, change agents and game changers,\u201d Brown said, describing just some of the many roles social workers play in society.<\/p>\n

Brown encouraged students to take pride in their profession and recognize the breadth of opportunities available to them. The breadth and depth of the training and skills social workers receive, she said, can open doors to careers across a wide range of settings and sectors.<\/p>\n

Social Workers Belong Everywhere<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Dean
UConn School of Social Work Dean Laura Curran applauded the students for choosing a UConn social work education. “The decision to become a social worker \u2014 it is a bold, compassionate, and powerful life path,” she said. “And your decision to prepare for that journey right here \u2014 at the UConn School of Social Work, an outstanding program that will equip you with the knowledge, skills, and values to make real change.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After School of Social Work faculty and staff introduced themselves, Dean Laura Curran welcomed the new students and emphasized that social work is an impactful, versatile, and dynamic profession.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith this degree, you can do so many things: work with children, older adults, veterans, or refugees; become a therapist or a community organizer, serve in schools, hospitals, housing programs, or government; teach, research, or lead nonprofits \u2026 Social work is everywhere\u2014and social workers belong everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paula Nieman, BSW program director and assistant professor-in-residence, focused on another essential aspect of social work: human relationships.<\/p>\n

Relationships, she said, do more than make social workers\u2019 work more competent and effective. They are fundamental to how social workers create meaningful change.<\/p>\n

\u201cSocial work isn\u2019t a solo pursuit,\u201d Nieman said. \u201cWhether we\u2019re working with an individual client or family, helping folks come together to create more just and sustainable communities, or advocating for programs and policies grounded in equity, human rights and social justice, to be effective social workers, we need to work in collaboration, in community, in relationship with each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rachel Schwartz, MSW program director and associate professor-in-residence, reminded students that they each bring unique perspectives and life experiences to the program.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that many of you may be managing multiple roles and responsibilities at home, and yet you\u2019re adding on another role now, as a student,\u201d Schwartz said. \u201cPerhaps you\u2019re changing careers, returning to school after some time, or maybe you\u2019re continuing shortly after completing your undergraduate degree.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schwartz encouraged students to recognize the value of those experiences while remaining open to new ones. \u201cI hope that as you dive into your coursework and practicum, you allow yourself to be open to new experiences, expanding your knowledge, and learning about all the ways social workers create change,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Be Proud to be a Social Worker<\/strong><\/p>\n

Following Convocation, students, faculty, and staff gathered at the Hartford Times Building for lunch and meet-and-greets. Associate Professor Caitlin Elsaesser also led a special ice-breaking event for new MSW students pursuing the Individuals, Groups, and Families concentration.<\/p>\n

\"Student
All smiles at the post convocation lunch!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In closing, Curran encouraged students to embrace ideas and experiences that challenge them throughout their time at the School.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope you engage with ideas that challenge your thinking and make you uncomfortable\u2014because that\u2019s how you grow and learn to understand others, a key skill in social work,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope you leave here more confident, more grounded and more inspired than ever to make a difference. And most of all, I hope you leave here proud to be a social worker.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Fall 2026 semester begins Aug. 31(opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a> and ends Dec. 20. A Welcome Back Block Party and Resource Fair for the UConn Hartford campus will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sept. 2.<\/em><\/p>\n

Learn more about the UConn School of Social Work(opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

View additional photos of the 2026 UConn School of Social Work Convocation and meet-and-greet below (Olivia Drake\/UConn):<\/p>\n

\"4
About 37% of the first-year students in the Class of 2030 across all campuses represent the first generation in their family attending higher education.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Patricia
Patricia Carlson, assistant research professor, introduces herself to the new social work students. Carlson earned her BA, MSW, and Ph.D. from UConn.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Carlton
Carlton Jones, director of the Office of Student and Academic Services (OSAS) welcomes students to the Convocation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"UConn
UConn School of Social Work staff welcome new BSW and MSW students to Convocation, held at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford on Aug. 28.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"student
Several students asked questions during the School of Social Work convocation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"social
At right, Associate Professors Geo Iacono and Caitlin Elsaesser speak with new MSW students pursuing the Individuals, Groups, and Families concentration.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Dawn
Brown spoke about the 2026 NASW theme, \u201cSocial Workers: Uplift, Defend, Transform.\u201d
\u201cYou can show up to advocate for protection and rights for our marginalized communities \u2026 write our legislators, testify at public hearings and allocate for just equitable policies,\u201d she said. \u201cCompassion, when it shows up correctly and effectively, allows us to show up in all spaces and places, centering the human experience.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

More than 280 new Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work students participated in the School of Social Work’s annual Convocation on Aug. 28<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":201,"featured_media":252297,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1870],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2514],"class_list":["post-252280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ssw"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-09-05 18:38:09","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252280","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/201"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=252280"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252280\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":252308,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252280\/revisions\/252308"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/252297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=252280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=252280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=252280"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=252280"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=252280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}