Investing in tomorrow’s changemakers
By Ginger O’Donnell
The Brown School at WashU is the first social work program in the country to launch practicum tuition awards alongside a cost-of-living stipend for every MSW student. This reduces students’ burden of educational debt and allows them to participate fully in an invaluable hands-on learning experience — essentially a mandatory internship at a social services organization.
To sustain the Brown School’s bold commitment, we rely on private philanthropic investment. Join us now and take advantage of the Wittcoff Accelerator Challenge, led by WashU alumna and longtime university benefactor Roma Wittcoff, BSBA ’45.
With you, we can change the world by preparing future-ready leaders in this much-needed profession.
“Everyone benefits when there’s another social worker entering the field.”
Dorian Traube, the Neidorff Family and Centene Corporation Dean of the Brown School
Creating in community
In many ways, Olivia Baba, BFA ’23, was the quintessential, multitalented applicant to WashU’s Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts. She had cultivated her passion for and skills in fashion design from an early age — asking her mom to take sewing classes when she was just 7 years old and spending her remaining childhood under the tutelage of a series of seamstresses, boutique owners, and clothing designers in the Bay Area.
Seizing opportunity, advocating for change
Melanie Goldring, AB ’17, MSP ’19, MSW ’19, has always been driven and tenacious. Throughout her life and career, she has found ways to make productive use of challenges, leaning into the experiences that present themselves and maximizing their inherent opportunities for personal and professional growth.
Know your power
Deko Devins is the President and CEO of Azimuth Energy, an engineering, construction, and development services company focused on the implementation of renewable energy and energy efficiency strategies. In 2024, Azimuth received Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) certification, distinguishing it as one of the few solar Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) companies with this designation.
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