Susan Shimotsu
Stories by Susan Shimotsu:
Field placement helps MSW student take advocacy skills back to native El Salvador
USC graduate sows the seeds of community outreach, establishing a nonprofit organization in her home country.

Hess lauded for preventing domestic violence
Susan Hess has been teaching family therapies and evidence-based practice models at USC since 2010.

Domestic violence survivor driven by past to create change
Amanda Tenorio turns a traumatic experience into a positive one.
MSW student named San Diego County Veteran of the Year

When a knee injury during deployment ended her dreams of a career in law enforcement and the military, Master of Social Work student RanDee McLain decided to give back to her fellow veterans by pursuing a career in social work.
Overcoming obstacles, MSW student adjusts to life after paralysis

Edgar Rico was 24 when his life changed forever.
Serving others leads to USC Alumni Award

Alma Fowlkes retired from the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services in 1993, but she has never stopped doing social work over the last 20 years.
Amaro to serve on committee for service members

Hortensia Amaro has been invited to serve on a committee overseen by the Institute of Medicine.
MSW students lunch, literary style

Beverly Younger of the USC School of Social Work assigned an autobiographical book to her Master of Social Work class that eventually led to a lunch date with the author herself.
Gaspari wins President’s Award for Staff Achievement

John Gaspari, executive director of the USC Center for Work and Family Life, is this year’s recipient of the USC President’s Award for Staff Achievement.
Newmyer wins Educator of the Year award

Rick Newmyer has been named Educator of the Year by the San Diego and Imperial counties region of the National Association of Social Workers-California Chapter.
USC professor awarded for leadership skills

Omar López, clinical assistant professor in field education at the USC School of Social Work, has been named an “Urban Leader Under 40.”
Social Work student works on stress-reduction tool

USC School of Social Work doctoral candidate Rong Xiao has been chosen to participate in the USC Diploma in Innovation project.
Student’s pilot program brings positive role models to East LA

Growing up in East Los Angeles, Master of Social Work student Ronnie Fernandez didn’t see many positive role models, specifically young, educated Latino men and women.
Social Work students earn Air Force scholarship

The USC School of Social Work established the first military social work program at a civilian research university and can now claim another first.
Hurlburt wins state Public Citizen of the Year award

Michael Hurlburt has been named Public Citizen of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers-California Chapter.
MSW student proposal accepted for national conference

Field internships are an important part of the curriculum at the USC School of Social Work, but one Master of Social Work student was able to turn hers into an accepted proposal for a national child welfare conference in Texas.
Academic Senate honors Jordan-Marsh for distinguished service

Maryalice Jordan-Marsh has received the 2012 Distinguished Faculty Service Award for her contributions to the USC Academic Senate as co-chair of the Committee on Information Services.
Guerrero receives award for social work management

Erick Guerrero has been selected by the National Network for Social Work Managers to receive the Mark Moses Distinguished Fellowship Award.
Hurlburt selected Public Citizen of the Year

Michael Hurlburt, assistant professor at the USC School of Social Work, has been named Public Citizen of the Year by the San Diego and Imperial counties region of the National Association of Social Workers-California Chapter for his dedication to preventing the neglect and maltreatment of children.
Lopez elected to Mexican advisory group

Omar Lopez, clinical assistant professor at the USC School of Social Work, has been elected to a three-year term as an adviser for Consejo Consultivo del Instituto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior, a consultative body within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico that analyzes problems, challenges and opportunities facing Mexican communities abroad.
Finno selected for child abuse and neglect fellowship
USC School of Social Work doctoral student Megan Finno has been awarded a Doris Duke Fellowship for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect to support her dissertation research on the use of formal support services and informal supports among Latino immigrant families investigated by the child welfare system.
Wind wins Orange County education award

The Orange County Department of Education honored Leslie Wind, clinical associate professor and director of the USC School of Social Work’s Orange County Academic Center, with its Outstanding Contributions to Education Award.
Student honored for work with exploited children
Charisma De Los Reyes, a Master of Social Work student at the San Diego Academic Center, has received the San Diego County Juvenile Justice Commission Award in child welfare services for her work on behalf of commercially sexually exploited children in the San Diego area.
Chi named to honorary post at University of Hong Kong

USC School of Social Work professor Iris Chi was named honorary associate director of the Sau Po Centre on Aging at the University of Hong Kong in recognition of her career accomplishments and commitment to improving the quality of life and welfare of the elderly.