THRIVE Scholars Program Grant
Transforming - Healthcare - Racial Equity - Inclusive - Visionary Leaders - Excellence
The Department of Social Work’s THRIVE Scholars Program is funded in part thanks to a $300,000 grant received from Boston Children’s Hospital’s Collaboration for Community Health in spring 2022.
Eligibility
This program will benefit graduate social work students entering their final year of Master of Social Work (MSW) studies who are ethnically, racially, and linguistically diverse individuals, and individuals from low-income backgrounds, first-generation students, or working parents/guardians.
Benefits to Future THRIVE Scholars
Direct financial assistance (20 students will receive $10,550)
- Targeted electives focused on the mental and behavioral needs of children, youth, and families
- Field practicum settings that will further enhance and support learning in the following areas:
- Children’s mental and behavioral health
- Providing evidence-based and culturally responsive practices for children, youth, and families
- Advancing the quality of children’s behavioral health care
- Addressing racial and health disparities
- Pairing with an alumni mentor
- Workshops and programming focused on evidence-based and culturally responsive practices
- Licensure preparation
- Information about loan forgiveness and financial literacy
The goal of the program is to reduce barriers and increase success in the student's postgraduate career transitions and prepare them to provide evidence-based and culturally responsive mental and behavioral health care to children, youth, and families.
Spring 2025 THRIVE Scholars Program Workshop Series
Police Social Workers Navigating Microaggressions, Mental Health, and Community Trust
Presented by Isabel Logan, EdD, LCSW
Executive Director and Co-founder of the Social Work & Law Enforcement Project
Wednesday, March 26, 2025, 6-7:30 p.m. ET
Join us on Zoom: 724 869 4971
This presentation begins with a brief history of the evolution of police social workers within the context of discrimination, social policies, and their most recent call to address the mental health crisis, and build community trust, particularly of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and People of Color (BILPOC). Drawing from Columbia University Professor Derald Wing Sue’s taxonomy on microaggressions, the challenges encountered by police social workers will be highlighted. The impact of those challenges professionally and personally will also be discussed at the micro, mezzo, and macro level, as well as policy and practice implications.
In this presentation, Isabel Logan will share information about the history of police social work within the context of discrimination, social policies, mental health, and community trust. She will cover the different concepts of microaggressions encountered by police social workers. A goal of the presentation is for participants to be able to identify the impact of microaggressions experienced by police social workers personally and professionally at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels, and find ways to navigate them when working with BILPOC.
Logan is an associate professor of Social Work at Southern Connecticut State University. She maintains a small consulting and clinical practice. Logan began her career in academia as a professor of Social Work at Eastern Connecticut State University in 2016. Before working in academia, she worked 20 years as a social worker for the Connecticut Division of Public Defender Services in New Haven (Conn.) Superior Court and Superior Court for Juvenile Matters in Hartford.
This virtual event is free and open to the Springfield College community and the public.
Questions? Please contact Jacqueline Lehoullier at jlehoullier@springfield.edu or (413) 748-3001. If you have disability and require a reasonable accommodation to fully participate in this event, contact Lehoullier to discuss your accessibility needs.
THRIVE Scholars Recognition Night
The THRIVE Scholars Recognition Night was held on May 3rd, 2023 at Judd Gymnasia in collaboration with the Phi Alpha Honor Society Ceremony. The inaugural 10 THRIVE Scholars were recognized by the THRIVE Leadership Team - Dr. Anthony Hill, Dr. Lisa Watson, Lily Ghrear, and Laura Mackie. Family and friends were invited to attend this special event!
