Fordham University GSS

“My internship and fellowship experiences helped me connect everything I was learning in the classroom to real-life practice. Another thing that made grad school easier for me was feeling represented and supported. I had professors who looked like me, shared similar stories, and understood the experiences many students of color and first-generation students go through. That representation mattered because it reminded me that success in this field was possible for someone like me, too. Overall, graduate school was definitely not easy, but the people, education, mentorship, and support system I found at Fordham made the experience incredibly meaningful and life-changing.”

Congratulations to Nathaly Fernandez MSW '26, who became a "Double Ram" this spring when she graduated with her MSW in just one year, after graduating from Fordham last year with her Bachelor of Arts in Social Work (BASW)!

Advanced Standing students complete the first half of their MSW degree as undergraduate students, allowing them to graduate with their MSW just one year later. This lets them enter the workforce and make their impact sooner. The profession is lucky to have her!

People become social workers for so many reasons.

Maybe they have been impacted by one. Maybe they never had access to one, and want to ensure that doesn’t happen to someone else. Maybe they encountered an unjust system and thought, “Someone needs to do something to change this.”

Whatever the reason, the important thing is they took the leap. They, and all the loved ones supporting them, believed in themselves and in something bigger. And the world will always be better for it.

Every social work student has a story to tell. Here are some pieces of those stories 🎓

There’s just nothing like it. ❤️🐏🎓

Class of 2026, we are so proud of you and all you’ve accomplished.

Now, you head into a profession that needs you. Into communities that depend on you. And into a world that can’t heal without you.

And remember: Fordham is your home — always. Get out there and change the world!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FORDHAM GSS CLASS OF 2026! ❤️ 🐏 🎓

It takes perseverance to get here. Now, you'll walk across that stage and into the career you've dreamed about. Today is YOUR day!

You've done the work, and you're prepared. You will be the person others lean on in their most vulnerable moments. And you will be ready for that responsibility.

And if there is ever a moment where you doubt yourself and what you can do — don't. You're a social worker. You can do anything.

See you at Rose Hill at 10 a.m.! It's going to be a CELEBRATION! 🥳 🎉

Don't forget to use in all your posts!

For those of you who want to watch the livestream and learn more about today's ceremony, use the link to watch along: https://bit.ly/3WkMGrM

Scenes from today’s commencement!

We are so proud of all the graduates who celebrated the culmination of all their hard work today. And what a beautiful day to celebrate ☀️

See you on Tuesday for the GSS Diploma Ceremony!!

Philip Petrosky spent decades as a teacher and later as a Chief Operating Officer in the financial sector, developing systems for derivatives and processing. After a successful climb up the corporate ladder, however, Petrosky realized he wanted to recenter his career toward making a meaningful impact on the people around him, not just the financial sector.

Drawn to the one-on-one depth of clinical social work, Petrosky arrived at Fordham’s Westchester campus in his late-60s ready to learn the skills to help make a difference for those who are struggling. This May, he celebrates completing his Master of Social Work (MSW) degree with a Specialized Practice Certificate (SPC) in Crisis and Resilience over two and a half years at Fordham GSS.

"The Fordham admissions office was really instrumental [in my decision to pursue social work]. I called them, and they spent a lot of time with me. They asked me about who I was, what I was looking for, what some of my talents and skills were, and they started to match them up with social work. They had ideas about what I would do with it. They were really motivational."

Read the entire interview: https://bit.ly/4di26Ga

Each year, the Graduate School of Social Service invites a keynote speaker to address our graduating class, someone who can meet this pivotal moment with the grace and distinction it deserves. This year’s speaker has spent a lifetime embodying the social work and Jesuit mission: advocating for what she believes in, and showing up for others at their most vulnerable.

We are proud to announce that the 2026 GSS Diploma Ceremony Keynote Speaker is Sister Helen Prejean.

After joining the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1957, Sister Prejean taught high school and led religious education in New Orleans. In 1982, she moved into the city’s St. Thomas Housing Project to live alongside those in poverty. It was there that she became a spiritual advisor to Patrick Sonnier, a man on death row in Louisiana. In 1984, she stood beside him when he was put to death in the electric chair.

Sister Prejean has spent the decades since bearing witness to what she saw, advocating tirelessly for the abolition of the death penalty. Through her organization, Ministry Against the Death Penalty, she educates the public, counsels families of victims and offenders, and campaigns against capital punishment, advocating for restorative justice and systemic reform.

This is the kind of commitment and courage that exemplify social work best practice.

On May 19, our graduates will walk across the terrace at Keating Hall on Fordham’s Rose Hill campus and, alongside nearly 500 classmates, officially enter a profession built on the belief that every person deserves an advocate. Sister Prejean has lived that belief her entire life. We can think of no better person to send them into the next chapter of theirs.

Almost a week away!