Alverno's First Social Work Majors Graduate

As the first graduates of Alverno's Social Work program, Joicenina Carvalho and Mariah Lang are ready to work for stronger communities.

In fact, both Carvalho and Lang were hired before graduation by Children's Hospital of Wisconsin as family case managers. Their mission is to work with families to help them raise kids in healthy and safe environments.

“Alverno has prepared me for my professional success by encouraging me to look at everything with an open eye and to approach everything holistically,” Carvalho says. “I have the confidence and tools to help people in need.”

Launched in fall 2017, the Alverno Social Work program prepares undergraduate students to have a positive impact on their communities and serve those in need. Social Work graduates are in high demand - the field is expected to add more than 5,000 related jobs in Wisconsin through 2026, according to the state's Department of Workforce Development.

One recent highlight for all Social Work students was a spring trip to Chicago, where students visited Hull House (the headquarters of Jane Addams, the mother of social work) and the community services organization Erie Neighborhood House. A generous donor funded the trip, which approximately 40 students attended.

“The Hull House and Erie House field trip inspired me because it all grew from the work of one strong, compassionate woman,” Lang says. “To see what can happen and come out of the compassion of a human is incredible, and an inspiration on its own.”