Our Students

Social Work Graduate Associations

Our program has active student associations, called Social Work Graduate Associations (SWGA) with officers elected each year by its members. Each association has a unique focus and organizes social, learning, and community activities for its members or all students in the program. All students are welcome to join every association!

 

  • The General Social Work Graduate Association provides a forum for current Master of Social Work (MSW) students may explore, discuss, and advocate for underserved communities. The Association also provides Social Work students with the opportunities to connect with community resources, as well as social and political entities within the various underserved communities. The Association will be a place where first-year students may connect with second-year students within the MSW program to share experiences with one another and provide mentorship for first year students in their academic and professional journeys.
  • Black SWGA is committed to enhancing the quality of life and empowering people of African ancestry through advocacy, human services delivery, dedication to academic achievement, professionalism, and social justice for all. We provide activities including presentations, special events, and community outreach that focus on leadership development, community involvement, and the promotion of academic excellence. Our mission is to recognize Black Social Workers and build a community of unity, love, and power.
  • Queer SWGA is a space for queer social work students and allies to discuss topics as they relate to queerness in the communities we come from and serve. Queer SWGA also stands in solidarity with the community of SWGA chapters and works to build sustainable support among the social work students of CSUEB. 
  • Middle Eastern, North African, Asian  Pacific Islander (MENA API SWGA) creates a respectful, welcoming, and inspiring space in which MSW students of the MENA API and non-MENA API communities can come together to make positive social change. MENA API SWGA is a safe platform where MENA API topics and issues can be addressed, and our voices can be heard. Alongside the other amazing SWGA chapters, we work toward making connections that reach beyond the University grounds. Most importantly, we are here to support each other as future social workers.
  • Latinx SWGA is comprised of first and second year MSW students from the varied program concentrations with the common goal of creating community by highlighting our personal narratives as individuals from historically disenfranchised communities. We aim to create a safe space where Latinx students can engage in critical self-reflection that facilitates the exploration and deconstruction of our identities through an intersectional lens. By doing so we hope to uphold the values of cultural humility and become stronger allies to our communities. We intentionally collaborate with other SWGA groups to foster the allyship and solidarity we hope to embody beyond our academic careers at CSU East Bay.
  • Title IV-E SWGA provides a unique space for collaboration amongst its members and promote awareness around child welfare issues, a fundamental segment of social work that holds us all together. The Title IV-E Club aims to provide all MSW students, whether or not they are Title IV-E students, a safe and supportive environment that promotes collegiality and lifelong learning. This club will also be a platform for social work students to network with county/other university partners in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our hope is to organize events and activities that promote the Social Work Code of Ethics and the CSUEB Social Work Department's mission statement while focusing on issues that present as barriers to social justice and solutions that enhance services for children, youth, and families. 

Interviews with our Students

Jessica P.

Professional Plans:  Working in School Social Work.

Joel B.

Professional Plans:  Working with children and adolescents in a mental health setting.

Victor W.

Professional Plans:  Working in Community Mental Health and obtaining a doctoral degree in the future.

Shainal C.

Professional Plans:  Working in School Social Work, epsecially with LGBTQ and South Asian communities.

Jennifer M.

Professional Plans:  Working in a non-profit mental health setting.

Mario A.

Professional Plans:  Working in Child Welfare, including designing and creating new programs in the future.

Rachelle E.

Professional Plans:  Working as a macro level practitioner and conducting research, and obtaining a doctoral degree in the future.

Lamar M.

Professional Plans:  Working in mental health, especially working with people with severe mental illness.

Tracy C.

Professional Plans:  Working in Community Mental Health.