HUSSW Welcomes the Newest Class to the Mecca

Welcome to Your Future: Howard University School of Social Work Welcomes the Fall 2026 Class

The Howard University School of Social Work welcomed 150 new Master of Social Work students and five first-year doctoral students this fall, beginning an academic journey that will challenge them to deepen their knowledge, strengthen their professional practice, and consider what it truly means to be #Howard-Prepared.

Held in person for students in the school’s flagship program and virtually for students in the online program, Fall 2026 MSW orientation connected incoming students with faculty, staff, alumni, University leadership, academic resources, and one another. Across both experiences, students were introduced not only to the expectations of graduate education, but also to the intellectual and professional tradition that distinguishes social work education at Howard.

At the center of the experience was a question students will continue to explore throughout their education: What does it mean to become a Howard-prepared social worker?

Dean Sheara Jennings, Ph.D., placed that question within the larger responsibility students are assuming as they enter the profession.

“Our profession needs your excellence to carry forward the distinction for the last 91 years of social work education. Our agencies need you. Your work is not optional; it is essential to the human well-being.

Her charge also connected the newest students to the School of Social Work’s 91-year legacy. As they begin writing their own chapter within that history, Jennings emphasized that being Howard Prepared is about more than what students know. It is also about the lens they bring to their work and their ability to understand peoplewithin the context of the lived experience.

That message carried throughout orientation. Dr. Cain and Dr. Jeter also encouraged students to consider how that distinctive lens should become visible in practice. Rather than approaching people primarily through their challenges or circumstances, students were encouraged to recognize their strengths, capacities, and humanity while remaining attentive to the broader conditions shaping their experiences. This and many conversations led by the faculty and staff were closely connected to the Black Perspective, the signature framework developed at the Howard University School of Social Work. Students were challenged to think about how the Black Perspective shapes the questions they ask, the assumptions they examine, their understanding of resistance to oppression, and the relationships they build with individuals, families, organizations, and communities. They were also encouraged to think differently about leadership. Being Howard Prepared is not defined by title or authority alone. It is demonstrated through collaboration and thoughtful listening. 

Howard University Provost Anthony Wutoh, Ph.D.; Howard University School of Social Work Alumni Association (HUSWAA) President Giovanna Hunt; faculty; and staff joined Dean Jennings in welcoming the incoming class and helping students understand the resources available to them throughout their graduate education. Faculty-led sessions addressing academic expectations and what success in graduate school looks like while also offering candid conversations about the realities students may encounter along the way. Students learned where to seek academic assistance, how to access accommodations and other resources, and the importance of addressing questions and concerns early.

For many students, orientation also provided their first opportunity to connect with classmates whose professional experiences and aspirations will become part of their collective learning at Howard.

For Amir Haylock, an incoming student from Los Angeles, pursuing an MSW provides academic grounding for work he says he has been doing “unofficially” for years. As a director with a leading Black nonprofit organization in Los Angeles, he has helped lead a college and career success initiative for young people in South Los Angeles. His work has included connecting students with resources, helping prepare them for college and careers, and providing life-skills training and professional development. Through that experience, he began to recognize that addressing gaps in opportunity requires more than providing resources. It also requires understanding and investing in the development of the person. His decision to pursue social work is similarly connected to representation and the importance of Black men being visible in the profession.

“I am choosing social work because there aren't many people who look like me in this space,” he said. “That Black male presence is important. I want young men to see Black men represented positively, and I want to give them what I needed”, quotes Mr. Haylock. 

The opportunity to connect students’ individual motivations with the history and responsibilities of the profession also extended beyond campus. As part of a voluntary welcome experience, a group of incoming students visited the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Throughout the day, principles of the Black Perspective were woven into moments of learning, conversation, and reflection. Against the backdrop of spaces documenting leadership through resistance and achievement, students considered the relationship between history and contemporary social work practice and how their own professional aspirations fit within a much larger story.

For incoming MSW student Kayla Hassel, pursuing social work is closely connected to the impact she hopes to have within the Black community, particularly through her work with individuals impacted by detention and systems of confinement.

“I chose social work because I want people to see the impact of the work and the change I am trying to make in the Black community,” she shared. “Being at Howard can help me make that impact.”

The experiences and aspirations shared by our first year MSW students, reflect the breadth of perspectives students bring. They arrive at Howard from different regions, institutions, organizations, and stages of their careers, but their education will ask them to examine more deeply environment, family, policy, institutions, and community shape the experiences of the people with whom they work.

That preparation will continue well beyond orientation. As the semester begins, the School is expanding professional development opportunities that complement students’ academic and agency-based education, including Mental Health First Aid training and certification. The training provides students with practical knowledge and skills to recognize and respond when someone may be experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge, with an emphasis on early intervention, appropriate support, and connecting individuals with additional resources when needed. Opportunities such as Mental Health First Aid, led by Professor Sandra Edmonds Crewe, PhD. and Associate Professor JaNeen Cross, Ph.D. reflect the school’s commitment to preparing students for the complexity of contemporary practice and providing experiences that strengthen the knowledge and skills they can carry into person and professional settings.

The Fall 2026 class begins its education at a consequential time for social work. Across practice settings, social workers are confronting issues related to mental health, housing and family stability, health disparities, aging, displacement, technology advances, economic insecurity, and changing policies and systems. Being Howard Prepared will ultimately be demonstrated in more than what students know. It will be reflected in how they see people and understand the above circumstances, the questions they ask, the strengths they recognize, and the way they collaborate and lead us toward more sustainable solutions.

For our newest class, the journey is now underway. As Dean Jennings reminded them, “Our profession needs your excellence.”

Welcome to the Howard University School of Social Work. Welcome to your future!