Awards and Recognitions

Spring 2025:

Field Instructor: Leah Tull, nominated by Denise Ekk

I have been blessed to have Leah Tull, LMSW as my field supervisor since August of 2024. I was initially nervous about my internship experience as my placement was not my first choice. However, Leah welcomed me on day one with flowers and a card. She always makes her schedule for the week known to me ahead of time so that I can plan my hours. She is responsive and communicative. When there have been situations such as illness or weather emergencies, she checks in on me and ensures that I have meaningful tasks that I can complete. She prioritizes my supervision and makes sure that she is available to provide timely and meaningful feedback about my progress. Leah actively seeks opportunities for me to engage with students, school administrators, other professionals, and the community. She promotes my professional development with assigned readings and analytic conversations around policy and legislation. Because Leah and I both have children who attend school with some of the students in the disciplinary program, she has guided me on appropriate boundaries and avoiding conflicts of interest. Leah has also facilitated relationship-building with other school professionals including teachers, school counselors, and administrators. She has provided me with opportunities for training and development and provided supportive supervision around difficult issues with students. Working in a disciplinary alternative school setting is challenging on the best days. Leah genuinely cares about her students and takes the time to get to know each one individually. She demonstrates empathy and compassion for the students and actively challenges barriers to their education. Leah is not afraid to bring concerns to the administration and other professionals. Leah is a strong advocate for social justice issues in the classroom and beyond and I highly value the guidance I have received from her for the past almost 9 months.

Task Supervisor: NONE

BSW: Alysia Ramirez, nominated by Dr. Tamara Shetron 

Alysia Ramirez is an outstanding Social Worker Intern. She came to our program with little knowledge of what we do and dove right in with great care and interest. Alysia showed great initiative by seeking out the information she needed to progress in our area and help our students. She is never shy about reaching out for advice or asking for assistance with a student issue. Alysia did not hesitate to participate in all aspects of our program which range from individual student meetings to assistance with study groups, troubleshooting problems as a team member, and seeking out resources to support our students and our team. Alysia took it upon herself to present on the direct application of SOWK ethical principles to our program. Alysia also demonstrates professionalism in all she does including protecting client privacy and respecting the different roles Bobcat RISE staff hold. I am particularly impressed by Alysia's leadership skills. She doesn't have an idea and then mull it over and shyly introduce it - she has confidence in her ideas and freely shares them with me (program director) demonstrating a level of maturity beyond her years. Alysia effectively communicates with our students, staff, volunteers, and visitors to our program. She demonstrated exceptional field performance in that she adheres strictly to all the demands and requirements of the SOWK field internship, yet she also seeks to go beyond by bringing all her skills and ideas to support our students and help our program grow and develop. I highly recommend Alysia for this honor as she demonstrates excellence in all areas AND she does so with a relaxed demeanor exuding a sense of competence - which is not always the case with undergraduate students!

MSW Foundation-year: NONE

MSW Advanced-year:  Kristen Corona, nominated by Joy Gironda

Kristen has demonstrated all skill sets required to be not only a good social worker, but an excellent one! From day one, Kristen expressed professional and appropriate communication in her interactions with clients and staff. Kristen has a calm demeanor in the face of our diverse range of clients in recovery from addiction and acts ethically, as required by our policy and protocol and the Code of Ethics our profession demands. She is motivated to learn new clinical skills, eager to take on new groups and seminars and can manage sessions with individual clients. Kristen's leadership shines when she is engaging the clients in our Nutrition and Wellness for Addiction Program and clients are drawn to her enthusiasm and positivity. There is no doubt in my judgement that Kristen Corona deserves this nomination and award. Thank you for allowing me to submit this nomination.