Graduate Success
As an MSW@USC student, you are joining an outstanding community of social work professionals dedicated to making a difference. Our students’ success continues after graduation, as they go on to become leaders in cities around the country.
Jabari Evans, MSW@USC ’14
In 2013, Jabari founded The Brainiac Project, a program that promotes recording arts careers to African-American at-risk youth, teaching them life skills, self-efficacy and entrepreneurship through recording arts. In 2015, Jabari was selected as one of Chicago Scholars’ 35 Under 35 Young Leaders Making an Impact.
“I feel if it weren’t for the MSW@USC program, I would not have been inspired and confident enough to go after it and participate in as much community work with youth in Chicago as I have been able to do. The education USC provided to me has been the catalyst for this.”
Watch this video to learn more about Jabari and The Brainiac Project.
Corrine St. Thomas, MSW@USC ’13
Corrine St. Thomas was working at the Westminster Police Department in California as an investigator on juvenile delinquency cases when she was asked to help develop statewide training on identifying and preventing human trafficking of minors. Upon earning her Master of Social Work, she was able to take this opportunity even further and apply a holistic perspective in her work investigating felony human-trafficking cases for the Orange County, California, District Attorney’s Office. Corrine is also an active member of the Clinton Global Initiative.
“I can say 100 percent that I am more successful and more well-rounded now because of my experiences with USC and the people that I met and the partnerships I have made by pursuing the MSW@USC.”
Tara Moore, MSW@USC ’14
Tara Moore’s career began in information technology. While she was successful, she felt she could be doing more meaningful work. She started volunteering at a local nonprofit, working with teen mothers to ensure their access to services and resources throughout their pregnancies and after the births of their children. Tara was inspired by the experience.
“Lives were literally transformed in these two-hour meetings with the teen mothers. An internal yearning to offer myself to community service was unexpectedly kindled, and my life had a new purpose. I was then led to pursue a life of service and applied for the USC MSW program.”
Tara is now helping kids through her work at the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, loving her new career in social work.
Ashley Rhodes-Courter, MSW@USC ’13
As a child, Ashley Rhodes-Courter spent nearly a decade in foster care, enduring every kind of abuse. Instead of giving up, she was motivated to succeed — in school and in life. After winning a full scholarship to Eckerd College for her undergraduate degree, Ashley continued her education with the MSW@USC. Since then, Ashley has run for state senate and founded the Foundation for Sustainable Families, a nonprofit organization that supports education, child welfare, human rights, equality, sustainability, families and community public health.
“One unique and powerful facet of this program is the ability to network, learn from, and interact with like-minded social workers and professors from all around the world. Without having to relocate, students now have an opportunity to make a direct impact in their own communities with the skills and tools learned from one of the country’s top social work programs.”
Elizabeth Steffel, MSW@USC ’15
A survivor of child abuse and homelessness as a teenager, Elizabeth Steffel knew she was meant for a career in social work so that she could help others struggling to grow up in the foster care system.
Today, Elizabeth is a contributor to Foster Focus magazine and the National Association of Social Workers, and she appears at events to advocate for children who are homeless or in foster care, making her a frequent interviewee in the local media. Her ultimate goal is to earn her PhD and become a leader in the field.