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IN THIS ISSUE
From the MFP DirectorFellows Spotlight
MFP’s Legacy
Apply Now: MFP 2026-2027 MSW Fellowship
Update Your Contact Information
Resources
From the MFP Director
Greetings MFP Community,I am delighted to connect with you as the new Director of the Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) at CSWE. It is an honor to join this vibrant network of fellows, alumni, mentors, and partners who are deeply committed to advancing behavioral health and strengthening the workforce that serves our communities. Over the past several weeks, I have had the privilege of meeting numerous MFP fellows and learning about the extraordinary commitment, innovation, and leadership that define this program. I look forward to supporting and uplifting this important work in the months ahead.
This season marks an exciting time for the program as we open the 2026–2027 MSW MFP application cycle. Each year, MSW fellows bring forward powerful perspectives and lived experiences that enrich behavioral health practice, research, and service delivery. We encourage you to help us spread the word widely across your networks so that emerging social workers can take advantage of this opportunity. The 2026–2027 MSW MFP application is open for submission until May, 11, 2026, at 11:59 PM (ET). Please check out additional information regarding information sessions, FAQs, and more details about the MSW MFP application process.
As we prepare for a new cohort, we are also seeking MFP volunteer application reviewers to support the MSW and Doctoral review processes. Our reviewers play a crucial role in advancing the MFP mission by helping us identify applicants who show exceptional promise as future leaders in behavioral health. If you or someone in your network is interested in contributing to this important work, we welcome your involvement. The 2025–2026 MFP Volunteer Application is open for submission until May 1, 2026, at 11:59 PM (ET).
Thank you for the warm welcome into this inspiring fellowship and for your continued dedication to supporting the next generation of behavioral health leaders. Below you’ll find highlights and resources from across the MFP community.
Warm regards,
Dr. Kimberly R. Mayes, LCSW
Director, Minority Fellowship Program
Fellows Spotlight
Steph Thornton is a community health worker, researcher, and Master of Social Work candidate at Capella University, whose work bridges public health, maternal wellness, and systems transformation. A first-generation college graduate and young mother turned national presenter, Steph’s educational journey reflects her commitment to transforming lived experience into strategy, leadership, and generational impact.
Steph currently serves as a community health worker in Greater Detroit, supporting families navigating complex health and social systems. She is a research assistant with the University of Michigan and is a member-at-large for NASW-Michigan (term ending June 2026), contributing to statewide policy dialogue and professional leadership. She is also a recipient of the Region V Public Health Training Center Award, recognizing her work to strengthen the public health workforce and advance health equity.
Her practice centers Black families, justice-impacted individuals, and communities disproportionately affected by structural inequities. Steph has presented at statewide and national conferences on community health worker workforce sustainability, maternal health equity, and cross-sector collaboration between clinical and community-based systems.
Motherhood and generational healing shape Steph’s lens as a social worker. She is committed to building systems that protect dignity, expand opportunities, and walk alongside communities, not ahead of them.
Through the CSWE MFP, Steph has strengthened her clinical foundation and expanded her national network of behavioral health leaders. Looking ahead, she plans to pursue clinical licensure while growing SAGA Farms into a community-rooted hub for healing, workforce development, and youth leadership.
Steph believes social work is not only a profession, but a responsibility to design systems worthy of the next generation.
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Vania Buck, MSW, is a first-year MFP doctoral fellow and PhD student at the University of Washington School of Social Work. A first-generation Mexican American scholar from San Diego, CA, with roots in Guanajuato and Tijuana, Mexico, her work is deeply shaped by her commitment to language access and equity for immigrant and Latinx communities.
Vania currently serves as adjunct faculty at California State University, Chico, where she designed and teaches Bilingual Social Work in Child Welfare, an innovative course aimed at strengthening bilingual social workers’ skills and confidence. Her research focuses on improving systems that serve immigrant families, particularly those who are Spanish-speaking or limited English proficient.
She is part of the Center on Immigration and Child Welfare (CICW) at the University of California, Berkeley, contributing to a 2-year statewide initiative assessing county needs in serving immigrant children and families. Through CICW’s Emerging Scholars Group, she co-authored a scoping review on the impacts of immigration enforcement on children and has a related manuscript under review. Vania also works with the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy supporting projects focused on the public and tribal child welfare workforce.
She describes the MFP as instrumental in helping her build community, mentorship, and belonging as a first-generation doctoral student. The fellowship has also provided financial support that has allowed her to deepen her research, travel to conferences, and connect with scholars and practitioners in her field.
Looking ahead, Vania hopes to help build a social work landscape where all individuals—regardless of the language they speak—can access, understand, and fully benefit from public and social services. She is committed to strengthening the preparation of future social workers and advancing research that uplifts multilingual and immigrant communities.
MFP’s Legacy
51 years ago, CSWE’s MFP was awarded a grant by the National Institute of Mental Health to increase the number of minority doctoral students majoring in mental health research. This first award was the catalyst for the program we celebrate today. Please take time to acknowledge those who paved the way with our ongoing MFP Legacy section highlighting those fellows who first were awarded fellowship. Find information on all 15 of the 1975–1976 cohort of MFP doctoral Fellows here. Below is one fellow’s biographical profile from when they were a fellow.
“Roger T. Yoshikami is a graduate of the University of Illinois, where he earned his MSW in 1971. He previously worked in Head Start and with the California Youth Authority. Subsequent to receiving his MSW he worked with the Human Resources Agency and the Children’s Home Society in Oakland, CA. He will seek his doctoral degree at the University of California at Berkeley School of Social Work.”
Apply Now: MFP 2026-2027 MSW Fellowship
The 2026–2027 MSW Minority Fellowship Program application is open for submission until May 11, 2026, at 11:59 PM (ET). To assist you with the application process, the MFP Team has prepared a Frequently Asked Questions document, Application Guidebook, and informative video detailing program goals and offerings. To accompany this process, we invite you to participate in an online interactive question and answer session designed to provide details about the program and application process. Live-captioning accommodations can be requested by emailing [email protected]. Please find information on the upcoming virtual application Q&A session and register below:
REGISTER TODAY!
Update Your Contact Information
Have you changed jobs in the last few years? Changed your primary email address? CSWE’s MFP relies on current contact information for our internal database, which we use to contact alumni and help us prepare our reports for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Please use this link to share your updated contact information. Additionally, you are encouraged to reach out to MFP alumni you are connected with and request that they share their updated information too. Thank you in advance for supporting MFP team efforts to enhance connectedness in the MFP community.
Resources
Call for Submissions
Focusing on the theme “No podemos perder la esperanza—Intersecting Barriers for Latino/a/x Families: Implications for Social Work Practice and Policy,” the special issue of Child and Family Social Work calls for manuscript submissions by June 1, 2026. Learn more.
Conference
Podcast—The Grant Writing Made Clear
The Grant Writing Made Clear podcast was created by Dr. Trenette Clark Goings (www.trenetteclarkgoings.com) to support nonprofit leaders, researchers, junior faculty, and graduate students as they navigate the often-daunting process of grant writing. Through brief, focused micro-episodes (typically less than 30 minutes), Dr. Trenette demystifies the process and offers practical strategies to help listeners develop competitive, fundable proposals. Topics include:
- Identifying the right funding opportunities
- Writing strong, compelling proposals
- Avoiding common grant writing pitfalls
- Interviews with successful funded researchers, including deans and tenured faculty
The podcast is available on all major platforms:
Training—SUD 101 Core Curriculum (2023)
The 23 modules in this 2023 curriculum provide an overview of evidence-based practices in the prevention, identification, and treatment of substance use disorders and co-occurring medical and psychiatric conditions for a variety of populations. Learn more.