NASW Foundation announces educational awards
WASHINGTON, D.C.— The National Association of Social Workers Foundation (NASWF) has awarded University of Texas at Austin student Jennifer Lauren Scott a 2014 Eileen Blackey Doctoral Fellowship. This fellowship is given to students committed to welfare policy and practice who, like Ms. Scott, work at reversing poverty trends.
"Ms. Scott exemplifies the sort of passion and drive we like to see in Foundation fellowship candidates," said NASWF director, Robert Arnold. "Specific to this doctoral fellowship, her focus on Latino immigrants, and on the policy implications of their low wages and pathway to citizenship, is an excellent match with the grant's vision. We are grateful to the New York Community Trust for its generous support of the program’s mission as well."
The Eileen Blackey Doctoral Fellowship provides partial support to social work doctoral candidates who are engaged in dissertation research in welfare policy and practice. As a result of a generous grant from the New York Community Trust Robert and Ellen Popper Scholarship Fund, the 2014-2015 fellowship has been increased to $15,000 from $3,000.
Scott researches how people on the fringes of the economy support themselves. She has studied poverty and survival strategies in both the United States and Mexico. By deconstructing how low-income families mobilize and supplement low-wage work, Scott’s studies will provide a starting point for policy recommendations toward reversing poverty in at-risk communities.
The fellowship program was established in 1987 as a tribute to Eileen Blackey, who was a pioneer in the planning and use of staff development programs in public welfare agencies and the U.S. Veterans Administration.
Social work is one of the fastest-growing professions in the United States, with more than 650,000 licensed nationwide. Social workers are skilled professionals who have gone through extensive training to receive a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or doctorate in social work.
They help improve the quality of life for families, veterans, the elderly, minorities and people living with mental illnesses.
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For more information about the NASW Foundation or the Eileen Blackey Doctoral Fellowship, please visit www.naswfoundation.org or e-mail naswfoundation@naswdc.org.
The National Association of Social Workers Foundation (NASWF) is a charitable organization created to enhance the well-being of individuals, families, and communities through the advancement of social work practice.
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), in Washington, DC, is the largest membership organization of professional social workers with 130,000 members. It promotes, develops, and protects the practice of social work and social workers. NASW also seeks to enhance the well-being of individuals, families, and communities through its advocacy.