University of Illinois School of Social Work

06/04/2026

Celebrate Juneteenth with the community on Saturday, June 13 at Douglass Park!

Come out for a day of freedom, culture, and community to honor and celebrate Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and recognizes African American resilience, achievements, and contributions.

The Champaign Public Library and Champaign Park District are partnering up to bring the community together with family-friendly fun, including games, crafts, vendors, and interactive activities for all ages.

Whether you're coming to learn, reflect, connect, or simply enjoy the festivities, you're invited to celebrate this important holiday with the Champaign-Urbana community. https://loom.ly/hSDrvv8

06/02/2026

Happy Pride Month! 🌈

Celebrate Pride all month long in Champaign County with a colorful lineup of events, activities, and opportunities to connect with the LGBTQIA+ community and allies.

Want to get involved? Check out Uniting Pride’s full calendar of events! Proudly serving Champaign County and surrounding communities, Uniting Pride provides support groups, educational opportunities, resource connections, and inclusive celebrations throughout June and all year long.

05/29/2026

Check out this upcoming event through The Autism Program on our campus - CEUs and PDHs available!

05/29/2026

Today, the Community Learning Lab is celebrating Sherrie Faulkner, who founded the CLL in 2013 while also serving as Director of BSW Field Education and Clinical Associate Professor.

As Sherrie prepares for retirement, all of us at the CLL want to say thank you. Over the years, Sherrie helped shape not only programs and events, but the culture of care and connection that defines the CLL community.

Sherrie’s fingerprints are everywhere: from wrapping hundreds of candy canes, being doubly-nominated for awards, creating cookie coupons and putting together baskets for Veterans Day, to organizing Thank You events, pouring so much energy into the Day of Service, dreaming up the Grant-a-Thon, and imagining what eventually became Connections Corner. Sherrie’s dedication to the School went beyond creating programs and events. She created moments, traditions, and spaces where people felt seen, appreciated, and connected.

Sherrie’s legacy lives on through the relationships she built and the countless students and community partners who were impacted by her creativity, generosity, and care. We are so grateful for all she has given and wish her so much joy, rest, and new adventures in this next chapter.

Thank you, Sherrie. You will always be part of the CLL family. 💐

05/27/2026

Congratulations to all our students who received awards for their presentations at the 2026 Undergraduate Research Symposium! Your hard work, curiosity and commitment to research continue to make our community proud. We can’t wait to see where your work leads next!

Outstanding Poster Presentations: Rachel Phillips, Maritza Vazquez, Izzy Schwartz
Outstanding Oral Presentations & Performances: Debora Kim, Samyukta Ananthanarayan

Visit for a full list of recipients and presentations: https://loom.ly/S9I-G3k

05/22/2026

Associate Professor, Dr. Rosalba “Rose” Hernandez, authored "Fear as a Social Determinant of Health in Immigrant Communities", now published in Viewpoint in JAMA Health Forum.

“Health is shaped not only by the environments people live in,” Hernandez said, “but also by whether they feel safe, protected, and able to move through the world without fear.”

Read more on our website: https://loom.ly/Q_1lUeo

05/18/2026

A research initiative led by professor Rachel Garthe is exploring how the Illinois app can help students more easily access survivor-centered support resources related to gender-based violence.

The collaborative team includes partners from Social Work, Psychology, the Illinois app team, the Women’s Resources Center, the Center for Social & Behavioral Science, and Vanderbilt University.

By integrating tools directly into a platform students already use every day, the project aims to reduce barriers to care, increase awareness of available resources, and strengthen pathways to support across campus.

Read more:

Back to Stories Advancing Survivor-Centered Support Through the Illinois App A research initiative led by Rachel Garthe, associate professor in the University of Illinois School of Social Work, is examining how the Illinois app can help students more easily navigate and connect with support resource...

05/16/2026

Congratulations to the Class of 2026 Social Work graduates. Today we celebrate your dedication, growth, and commitment to making a difference in the lives of others! 🎓

Here’s to celebrating this milestone with a little extra confetti and a lot of pride.

Can’t join us in person? Share in this milestone via the livestream: https://loom.ly/yrXUILY

05/15/2026

One of the most meaningful traditions of doctoral education: the hooding ceremony. Congratulations to our newest doctoral graduate, Xavier Ramirez, as he begins the next chapter of his impact in social work and beyond!