Smith College School for Social Work

Opening Ceremony kicked off summer 2026 with intention setting, photobooth fun, a community-made playlist DJ'd by Lorelei Erisis, associate director of admissions, sweet treats, and great food by Smith College Dining. Organized by 4C (Committed to Creating Culture and Community) fka ARPG, connections new and old grounded everyone to start the intensity of summer in community.

Photos by Shana Sureck Photography.

Senda the Bear, Smith College's new mascot, welcomed new SSW students at Orientation on Friday with high fives and selfies.

We are getting ready to welcome students next week!

William Teresa shared a little insight info practicum placement experiences going into his third summer at Smith SSW.

Full name: William Teresa
Hometown: Santa Monica, California

What’s one piece of advice you’d like to share about practicum placement?
"Speak up! Use your critical Smith lens to challenge your placement to better support the people it serves. You can make a difference, not just directly with clients, but also through advocating for structural change at your placement."

As an SSW student, what have you been most excited about this year?
"Electives! There are so many to choose from. It was really hard to narrow them down. There are some professors I’ve heard great things about that I’m excited to finally work with, and there are some subjects that are right up my alley that I can’t wait to learn more about."

In what ways has your PFA been supportive of you this year?
"My PFA has been great. They’ve given me very thoughtful feedback on my monthly narratives and papers and during site visits. I know they care about my learning and I feel that could continue beyond graduation."

Why is clinical social work important, for you and your community?
"I used to think that macro work was where I could have the most impact, but then I realized that even if we had everything sorted out on the macro level, life would still happen, and we would still need clinical social work for those moments."

If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?
"I’d love to be really good at at least one musical instrument. I dabbled with a few when I was young, but to be able to play something really well would be beautiful."

1. About to enjoy a much-needed treat to help keep myself going during my first practicum
2. Getting some energy from the sun before my first day of my first practicum at the Edinburg Center in Bedford, Massachusetts
3. Moments after our second annual end-of-summer all-class primal scream. MSW ’26 friends Gil Messer, Rose Lambert-Sluder, Dan Lewis, Clementine Lazar, Liz Ashkenazi, Deidre Murphy, Petra Schweitzer, and Griffin Unger.
4. Saying goodbye to my neighbor’s dog Bixby in Easthampton with a big smile of relief after completing my first Smith summer
5. My first real office! At Sandy Segal Youth Health Center, my second practicum site, in Culver City, California