VCU School of Social Work

Alexis Payne, M.S.W. student, on her presentation "Rage as a Methodology: Literature Review of How Black Women Scholars Conceptualize and Use Rage Transformatively"

📝 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

“So this is my first conference or symposium, so I've never really had an experience like this, so that's exciting. And then I also am just really passionate about this work as a Black woman, the work really lays directly to me. … It's very impactful thinking about how race can lead to societal change during this period of time. I like to ask a lot of questions. I will ask anyone any question, that's kind of like one of my traits. … A former student actually recommended Dr. Corley, and was just talking about the kind of work that Dr. Coley does, and it kind of aligns with who I am as an individual. Right now, I'm a clinical student, but I have a really strong passion in macro, so I think that's kind of why I got into research, too, is to continue with more of a macro side of things. I think because macro and micro are so intertwined, I want to be able to, like, talk to the individual, have those skill sets that the clinical aspect provides me, and then I want to use that to, like, influence policy or work on a systemic, like, a systems level, to create some change."

Cait Parker, M.S.W.’26 graduate (Child Welfare Stipend Program participant), on her presentation "Factors Influencing Child Welfare Stipend Program Alumni Decisions to Leave Public Child Welfare"

📝 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

“It feels really good. I've never done anything like this, and I think so far it's going really well. And I realized I maybe have some imposter syndrome and overcame that a little bit with some feedback I got, so it feels good. I actually started doing this research before I became a CWSP student, and yeah, I think this is just basically like helps me, more of my understanding of like child welfare workforce, which is something, myself, that I’m going into. I will be working with Charlottesville DSS in foster care. … Right now, I feel like, yes, that is my goal, is to be in child welfare. And then again, like, I know there's so much things in social work, it's so broad, but in general, like, I see myself working with children and families."

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."