Alumni Stories

Carly Costello

Class of 2013 (MSW) / Owner and Therapist at the Counseling Nook

I am so glad I chose the route of social work! During grad school I felt empowered and just knew it was the right degree for me. My professors and peers in the social work program were inspiring and supportive. My mom was a therapist (LPC) and she encouraged me to pursue a MSW if I wanted to be a therapist because she said a Master's in Social Work was "more marketable"... I opened my own practice in September 2022 and have another therapist working with me now that went to grad school with me, Stephanie Majetich. My biggest tip for students now is to take advantage of all the resources you have being a student at WVU! Oh... and if you haven't been to therapy, GO, while you're still on your parents insurance or you can take advantage of resources for students. Take your LGSW exam as soon as possible while you're still in student mode, it definitely gets harder as time passes. You don't have to have it all figured out in school, learning continues beyond graduation. Your supervisor for licensure can be the most impactful mentor so choose wisely.

Lauren Verlinden

Class of 2021 (BSW) & 2022 (MSW) / Mental Health Therapist for Children and Adolescents

Now as a therapist for children and adolescents, I have been able to fulfill my biggest dreams because of the education, staff, professors and friends through the School of Social Work at WVU. Not only did the BSW and MSW bring me a career but also life long friends that I now get to watch grow in their own careers and stand by them during on their biggest days. I will forever be grateful for the opportunities and people this program and field have brought me! Any tips I would give incoming Social Work students would be to get involved, show compassion to your professors (they are human too), and take the licensure prep course! It really will help!

Denise Boudreau

Class of 1987 (BSW) & 1989 (MSW) / Medical Social Worker

The BSW program instilled a generalist perspective, providing a foundational understanding essential for advocating for clients. I transferred into the social work program from the WVU School of Nursing. I found that the school of nursing emphasized the negative aspects, while the school of social work focused on the positive. I integrate both approaches in my job, valuing the freedom of choice and encouragement of the good, taught by the school of social work, while recognizing the medical model emphasized by the school of nursing. I prefer the strengths approach while also valuing honesty. During my time, HIV and AIDS were emerging issues. While the school of nursing exposed me to the medical aspects, my later work with individuals affected by HIV and AIDS taught me the compassion I apply daily.

Evelyn Tomaszewski

Class of 1980 (BSW) & Class of 1985 (MSW) / MSW Program Director and Assistant Professor at George Mason University

My BSW internship at Legal Aid Society connected me to community and interdisciplinary work, and the programs generalist approach prepared me for my first job at a domestic violence shelter where I further developed skills across the micro-mezzo-macro levels of practice. Several years later, I completed the advanced standing MSW program, and the program’s integrated practice approach, with my own interest in community organizing and administration, set the foundation for a career in policy practice, education and advocacy. My time and relationships through both my BSW and MSW led to opportunities with local and federal government agencies and organizations, to be a lobbyist with West Virginia NASW, program director and policy advisor with the National Association of Social Workers national office, and now as MSW Program Director at George Mason University. To today’s student: be creative, build transferable skills across practice areas, follow your passion and adapt to new opportunities, take time to connect with your WVU community (and beyond) to grow your expertise and to build connections. Be the change!