VCU School of Social Work

Lauren Slaughter, M.S.W. student, on her presentation "A Changing Landscape: HIV/AIDS Training Needs for Providers Across Virginia."

📝 She presented this at the 29th annual Graduate Research Symposium on April 22.

🔗Learn more about her and other presentations at https://vcussw.info/Research26

“I’m really proud of the work that we've done, and I'm really proud of how this is going to impact all of the care providers across Virginia, and also our funding partner site training site as well. I have been with VCU’s HIV Education Program since May (2025). … There was a series of funding cuts to Ryan White programs at the federal and state level that really, really hurt all of the HIV providers across America, too, right? So we wanted to better understand what the needs of our, the people who receive training from us are, and what they're able to do with their funding, and also what we're able to with our reduced funding too. Since then funding has been restored, so good news. I really love being in the macro cohort, we're so close … I've really enjoyed getting to learn about change in organizations. I would love to take my research skills with this, bridge that gap, data, and people telling stories more than just numbers, but I also really want to be able to help organizations create change within themselves and within the community."

Hear from Lilianna Morales, Ph.D. student, on her presentation "Perspectives of Cultural and Family Influences from Latino College Students on Dating Violence, Dating Norms, and Healthy Relationships."

📝 She presented this at the 29th annual Graduate Research Symposium on April 22.

🔗Learn more about her and other presentations at https://vcussw.info/Research26

Transcript: "It's a big deal for me on a personal level. I've done other conferences, but it was other professors' research that I helped or assisted with. This was really my first time doing my own sort of study paper using my professor's data, but she let me take charge in the coding analysis, and all of it. ... My dissertation is going to be about, like, the messages our parents give to us about race and ethnicity and skin color, and how that informs our own identity. And obviously these are very different subjects, but again, like the messages you get and how that informs your own meaning-making. ... I really do care about the acculturation piece, and I think that carries on in a lot of different areas. You know, when I've worked on mental health and other papers related to Latinos and immigration, acculturation has been like a tying theme that results in variation in outcomes."

🏆 Here are our two winners for the VCU Social Work B.S.W. Art Contest (keep an eye out for events this upcoming fall to recieve a shirt with this art).

“I was struggling to find a way to represent the concept [Art as Radical Hope and Resistance] without relying heavily on words…before thinking about the dandelion concept. I wanted to add some other subtle forms of resistance, such as the flag and poster on the window in the background. I played around with the saturation of the entire piece after getting some tips from my friends who are art students who suggested in order to make the flower more of the main subject to have to be brighter than everything else. I also wanted the text to be in my own handwriting, because that’s something I am a little self conscious about, and using it anyways fit with the theme.“
-CaL Luck

“This piece is incredibly personal to me. Being born and raised in Richmond, navigating life as someone who is mixed, and experiencing the complexities of racism firsthand from family has deeply shaped my perspective. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found myself reflecting more on how my own experiences connect to Richmond’s history. It’s actually inspired me to start writing a book exploring those intersections; no timeline on when it’ll be finished, but it’s something I care deeply about.”
-Jae Lange

🔗-Link in bio for the full article

Coming soon, look out for a framed art display at the home of the School of Social Work (VCU Academic Learning Commons, 3rd Floor).

"How you do social work is up to you." 💛
Daryl Fraser, M.S.W.'07
Fraser & Associates Complete Therapeutic Services
🎓May 2026 commencement speaker.🎓

🎓 Congratulations to all of our Ph.D. graduates!🐏

⭐Hear from our Ph.D. student speaker Reem Shawkat⭐