Latino Social Work Coalition and Scholarship Fund Honors Touro Graduate School of Social Work

Additionally, second-year Touro MSW student and long-time Queens resident Betsy Cardenas was honored with a scholarship. The scholarship dovetails with the LSWCSF’s mission -- to increase the number of culturally and linguistically competent Latino and bilingual social workers serving low-income and underserved communities. This goal is accomplished through community outreach, legislative advocacy and scholarships.

“Touro’s investment in educating, uplifting, and supporting Latino social workers and those of other racial and ethnic minority groups is transforming the future of our profession,” said LSWCSF Executive Director Luisa Lopez. “Their commitment to equity, leadership development, and community impact makes Touro an essential partner in our work.”

Tikkun Olam

Accepting the award, Associate Dean and MSW Program Director Leah Giangrande, DSW, LSW, said the recognition was deeply meaningful and aligned with Touro’s mission to provide education that benefits both individuals and society, reflecting the Jewish principle of Tikkun Olam - the commitment to make the world a better place for all.

“Our longstanding relationship with the Coalition has always been grounded in shared values: community empowerment, educational access, cultural pride and leadership development. We are proud to have partnered with the Coalition to sponsor events, share initiatives and support the many Latino social workers who strengthen our city,” she said. “This award is a reminder that when institutions and communities work together, we can build systems that truly honor the resilience and brilliance of the Latinx communities.”

Dr. Giangrande said the award validates Touro’s work to repeal the Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) exam requirement in New York, a project of the LSWCSF and another group, Social Workers for Justice.

From 2018 to 2021 only 51.9 percent of Black and 71.2 percent of Latino social workers passed the exam, compared with 90.8 percent of white social workers, according to a study by the Association of Social Work Boards that develops and administers the exams for the U.S. and Canada.

According to GSSW Dean Nancy Gallina, Ph.D., LCSW, the exam has resulted in fewer bilingual, older, and social workers of color entering the workforce in New York. She testified recently before the New York City Council, successfully urging passage of a resolution endorsing state legislation to eliminate the exam. Eighteen states are working to eliminate the entry level exam, according to a survey by the National Deans and Directors of Social Work.

GSSW Student Celebrated with Latino Social Work Coalition Scholarship

At the event, second year MSW student Betsy Cardenas was awarded a scholarship from the Coalition. She came to the U.S. from Ecuador at age 14, not knowing English, and started school at the 10^th grade where she was bullied because she lacked ability to communicate. Pushing forward, she graduated in 2002 and worked as a pharmacy technician to help support her parents. In 2015, she began work as a paraprofessional at a special education high school in Queens, where she is still employed.

“I learned they would pay for six college credits,” Cardenas recalls. “That changed everything. It opened the door to the future I had always wanted.”

She enrolled at Touro’s undergraduate program at New York School of Career and Applied Studies (NYSCAS) while working full-time and raising three children with disabilities, two as a single mother.

Today she is earning her MSW and interning at the New Americans Initiative at the YMCA of New York, where she helps clients access education, housing, jobs and community resources. Eventually she hopes to become a licensed clinical social worker and open a mental health center for families.

“Many come to this country with nothing but hope, and being bilingual allows me to build immediate trust. When I speak to clients in Spanish and English it tells them, ‘I see you, I understand you. I am here for you,’ ” says Cardenas.