SAC and Angelo State See First Graduates from Social Work Partnership

A trio of graduates from San Antonio College’s social work program have received bachelors’ degrees from Angelo State University (ASU) in San Angelo through a partnership first announced in 2019 between the two institutions.

Amanda Fierro, Shiquera Shannon, and Jullyana Coronado received bachelors’ of social work (BSW) during the Spring 2021 commencement ceremony at ASU this May. They are the first students to receive degrees by going through the Social Work Direct Path program, which was created to make it easier and more affordable for students studying social work to pursue a bachelor’s degree.

“I feel that the SAC-ASU collaboration has been a win-win for our SAC students,” said Dr. Denetria Brooks-James, coordinator for the social work program. “This collaboration allows them to achieve their educational goal of getting a BSW in two years after completing their associate or associate of applied science.”

One of the goals of the partnership was to help students graduate with little or no student debt. The social work students were able to take most of their classes online. In addition, ASU awarded Carr Transfer Scholarships to students with a 2.5 GPA to help pay for their tuition.

“I am excited to have our first graduates from the SAC-ASU collaboration, which has given SAC students an opportunity to pursue their educational and professional goals,” said Thomas Starkey, chair and associate professor of the social work department at ASU. “The administration and faculty of SAC have been a pleasure to work with, and we have the same objectives in creating opportunities for students.”

He added, “the SAC students who graduate are truly deserving of the BSW degree and I wish them the best in all their future professional and personal pursuits.”

“I always knew I wanted to help others and my community, so when I realized I could do that as a career, I knew social work was the right fit for me,” said Jullyana Coronado, one of the graduates.  “I love this field, and hope to one day practice privately as a licensed clinical social worker,” she added.

–SAC–