“Being a Social Worker is Your Superpower – Wield It Wisely”
Touro Graduate School of Social Work Honors the Class of 2025 at the 92nd Street Y
On June 10, the Touro University Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW) held its annual Academic Recognition Program at Manhattan’s historic 92nd Street Y. The ceremony honored graduates from the January, June, and September cohorts of the Class of 2025 and celebrated their resilience, values, and vision for change.
GSSW Dean Dr. Nancy Gallina opened the ceremony with a message of affirmation and an appeal to students. Noting the challenging times, Dr. Gallina exhorted the graduates: “Being a social worker is your superpower. Wield it wisely, judiciously, and with the burning need to set wrongs right, console the inconsolable, and be a light in dark times.”
Rabbi Moshe Krupka, Executive Vice President of Touro University, followed with a deeply personal reflection about his mother, a Holocaust survivor, who welcomed a lost stranger into her store and spent an hour listening to him. “I looked into his face, and I saw his pain,” she told the young Rabbi Krupka. “This person needed a human connection.”
Honoring Excellence
Several individuals were recognized for their contributions to the field, the school, and the broader community. Tiffani Santiago received the Dr. Bernard and Sarah Lander Distinguished Community Service Award. A survivor of the foster care system, Santiago now advocates for youth navigating the same path she once walked. Her work as a mentor, coach, and therapist has helped young people find housing, pursue education, and reclaim their futures. “She has turned her pain into purpose, her wounds into wisdom, and her story into a source of strength,” said her presenter, GSSW professor Elhanan Marvit. “You are the embodiment of Tikkun Olam, healing the world.”
Patricia Cherry Simon, Class of 2016, was awarded the Outstanding Alumni Award for her decades-long commitment to individuals with developmental disabilities, her work as a therapist and addiction counselor, and her leadership in Touro’s alumni network. “I was the first in my family to graduate,” she said.
The Outstanding Service to the School Award was presented to retiring professor Dr. Sharon Sandman, who spent over two decades teaching research methods. Known for helping students move from statistical anxiety to analytical confidence, Dr. Sandman said: “My efforts, every semester, were concentrated on helping students move from being research-phobic to being more confident about what they learned and, importantly, what they were able to learn.”
The Distinguished Scholarship in Values and Ethics Award was given to Wilma Hayes Rodriguez and David Grossman for outstanding student papers that demonstrated ethical insight and applied scholarship. Rodriguez’s closing reflection captured the theme of the award: “Social work ethics are not abstract principles. They are lived and tested daily in complex environments.”
Leadership and Collaboration
The Exemplary Community Partnership Award was presented to Services for the UnderServed (SUS) for their partnership with Touro through the New York Community Trust Fellowship. SUS President Perry Perlmutter accepted the award, recognizing the organization’s role in uplifting employees and advancing the education of front-line social service workers. The award also testified to the growing reach of GSSW.
The Social Work Leadership and Management Award was shared by three graduating students—Devin Kranz, Tamika Simmons, and Siobhan Warren—each of whom demonstrated a strong commitment to systemic leadership and community-based practice. Graduates from the Brooklyn and Manhattan cohorts, recipients of the New York Community Trust Fellowship, and several students recognized for academic honors were also acknowledged throughout the program.
A Voice for the Class of 2025
The student speaker, Eli Farkas, delivered a message that blended gratitude, humility, and a strong sense of mission. “When I think of Touro’s Graduate School of Social Work,” he said, “I think of values—values that aren’t just taught but lived. Values that guide us when the world feels uncertain.” He thanked his fellow classmates, the faculty, his family, and especially the school’s commitment to ethical leadership. “We’ve been given the tools to be clinical social workers,” he said. “But more importantly, we’ve been given the example of how to be ethical ones.”
A Lifelong Journey
Associate Clinical Professor Dr. Steven Kranz brought the ceremony to a close with a reminder: “Social work is the profession of facilitating positive change for other human beings. Give yourself time and grace to grow into it. It’s a lifelong journey.”
