Now in its fourth year, the Toni Johnson Scholars for Racial and Social Justice Program (formerly known as the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Scholars Program) has expanded its reach to all three degree programs and has increased the number of students involved at all three levels. The program supports students pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s in social welfare who have experienced marginalization and oppression and Ph.D. students pursuing research on racial justice. Through financial support, mentoring, leadership and professional development opportunities, the Toni Johnson Scholars for Racial and Social Justice Program aims to enhance community, retention and success for program scholars.
As social work leaders and mentors, we have a duty to promote the importance of social change. We must advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves. Social work is social justice.
Starting with the 2019 One Day. One KU. campaign, we were able to raise enough to launch this amazing program, and each year after, we have been so grateful for the continued support and generous donors who have helped us build this program into something bigger and better today. We are asking again this year for your help to both keep this program going strong and to increase the number of students we can support.
Our School is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and the work is never done. With your continued partnership, we can truly make a difference and move closer to our vision of all individuals, families and communities utilizing their power to achieve justice, equity and well-being.
Toni Johnson Scholar Spotlight
Marc Veloz, Toni Johnson Scholar
Marc Veloz sees himself as an empath. Even when he was a young child, he remembers being able to connect with others, caring deeply about their feelings, and wanting to do everything he could to help them. So for him, pursuing a career in social welfare felt like a perfect fit. So did joining the Toni Johnson Scholars program.
“They are prepping us for the big opportunities that will come later in life,” says Veloz, who is a senior, and a first-generation Latino who identifies as queer. “They have created an inclusive space where we can learn from each other and be our most authentic, successful selves.”
Veloz appreciates how the scholars program has helped open doors for him to network with faculty in his area of study, and to connect with other students, from undergraduates to those pursuing their Ph.D. The interaction is helping him work through big decisions like whether or not to go to graduate school and what area of social work to practice in his career. And it’s helping him be more effective in his social work practicum with the Lawrence Public Library, where he supports the community resource specialist doing direct service and community engagement.
“To be in a program and connected to your peers, and to be able to go to them for advice is monumental. When I am in these stages of deep struggle, after a meeting with mentors, I walk away feeling that it’s OK. Everything will be fine. I knew this would be a space where I could thrive and grow.”
