The University of Maryland School of Social Work’s (UMSSW) Class of 2026 entered SECU Arena on May 15 carrying stories of career changes, personal struggles, advocacy, and left with diplomas in hand with a desire to be a change maker in a world they say increasingly needs compassion and courage.
UMSSW Convocation student speaker Denise Haney receives a standing ovation and applause.
The School of Social Work celebrated 322 Master of Social Work graduates and five PhD graduates during its convocation ceremony at Towson University, honoring December 2025 and Spring and Summer 2026 graduates. The ceremony also marked the first graduating class of the fully online MSW program.
“What does it mean to truly show up for someone?” asked student speaker Denise Haney during remarks that drew applause throughout the ceremony. “Not just in theory, not just in policy, but in the real difficult moments of someone’s life.”
Haney, a first-generation graduate and single mother who completed her internship with the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, reflected on her own experiences navigating systems that at times felt “distant, overwhelmed, or absent.”
“Presence matters,” Haney told graduates. “Sometimes the difference between someone feeling invisible and someone feeling valued is simply whether someone shows up.”
The message resonated with many graduates whose journeys to social work began in entirely different careers and life paths.
One of the ceremony’s most emotional moments came when the School of Social Work awarded a posthumous Master of Social Work degree to Allyson Harkey.
Senior Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs Amanda Lehning, PhD, MSW, director of the MSW program, said Harkey entered the school with a strong commitment to supporting survivors of intimate partner violence and serving women and LGBTQ+ communities through trauma-informed care. Though Harkey died before completing her final semester, Lehning said faculty recognized the significant progress she made toward the degree and supported awarding it posthumously.
As Harkey’s mother, Kathy, accepted the degree on stage, Lehning shared that pink was Harkey’s favorite color, which Kathy wore in her honor. The graduating class stood in applause during the presentation, honoring the Harkeys.
Prior to the ceremony, graduates mingled behind the scenes waiting to take the next steps toward a new future. For Daniel Rascovar, who graduated from the Leadership, Policy, and Social Change (LPSC) concentration, the degree represented a major career pivot. Before enrolling at the School of Social Work, he worked in finance.
“It just was not really doing it for me. I was miserable,” Rascovar said. “I ended up quitting and just took a lot of time to do research and self-reflect and talk to professionals.”
He said volunteering and a longtime desire to help others ultimately led him to social work and hopes to work with youth in schools or community programs.
Rascovar said one of the biggest surprises of graduate school was the strong sense of community he found among classmates with his in-person classes in Baltimore.
“I really wasn’t expecting to make a lot of friends in a master’s program,” he said. “I was really able to make lifelong lasting connections.”
That sense of community was echoed by Samantha “Sam” Kennedy, who also graduated from the LPSC concentration after previously earning her bachelor’s degree in social work through the UMBC program administered by UMSSW.
Kennedy said about a dozen classmates from the UMBC program continued together into graduate school, forming a close-knit support system.
“It has been so nice to have that support and social network,” Kennedy said. “We’re all in different populations, and it’s really nice to be like, ‘Hey, I have this resource.’”
Kennedy recently returned from a weeklong study experience in Costa Rica tied to a social work practice course focused on immigrants and refugees. Traveling with a small group of students, she visited rural communities and met refugees and migrants from Nicaragua and Venezuela.
“We just learned from them and heard their stories,” Kennedy said. “It was really beautiful.”
The experience helped shape her future career goals. While she once envisioned international social work, Kennedy now hopes to improve immigrant and refugee services within the United States through program management and community-based work.
Dean Judy L. Postmus, PhD, ACSW, told graduates that social workers are needed now more than ever amid political division, economic uncertainty, and challenges facing communities nationwide.
“With the current state of our country, news headlines, and international affairs, change makers are needed,” Postmus said during the ceremony.
Postmus acknowledged the uncertainty many graduates have witnessed over the past year, including financial pressures, job losses, and growing divisions across the country, while encouraging graduates to see themselves as part of the solution.
“It is during moments of uncertainty and injustice that social workers emerge to push policies and legislation forward,” Postmus said.
Haney closed her speech with a challenge to graduates entering hospitals, schools, agencies, courtrooms, and communities across the country.
“The world does not only need educated social workers,” Haney said. “It needs brave ones.”
