$400K Gift Gives Boost To Salem State University Social Work Students

SALEM, MA — A $400,000 gift from the Accelerate The Future family foundation is designed to offer scholarships that make it easier for Salem State University students to perform social work in their communities.

The Accelerate The Future Scholarship will offer $20,000 per student to 20 students in the Master of Social Work program with an eye toward increasing the racial and ethnic diversity in the field.

"This scholarship fund has provided crucial financial incentives to attract and retain students who are committed to working with individuals who identify with historically marginalized populations and in underserved communities," said Lisa Johnson, interim dean of the School of Social Work.

Salem State's School of Social Work was the first public social work program in the state.

"The ability to graduate with a master's degree and owe close to nothing is something unheard of for an immigrant, brown girl like me," said graduate student Francisca Daniels, of Lynn. "This scholarship grants me the ability to build generational wealth for my family and the power to live out my dream of working with marginalized communities, helping to change the stigma around mental health."

Accelerate The Future Managing Director Ross Lohr said gift is part of the foundation's mission to provide increased access to public health services for those families in underserved Gateway communities.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)