The Lawanna Renee Barron Endowed Scholarships are awarded to MSW students with demonstrated interest, or experience, in working in rural settings and/or health and mental health in African American communities.The 2024-2025 recipients are:
Jalen Conyers, Winthrop University
Jalen Conyers was born and raised in Georgetown, South Carolina and later relocated to Hopkins, South Carolina. She graduated from the University of South Carolina Upstate, where she majored in Community Health. Jalen has always had a passion and interest in children and mental health. After graduating with her BA, she began her career as a student services coordinator at a nonprofit organization in Columbia, South Carolina. It was then that she began to discover the field of social work and her passion for social work and children/youth mental health. Jalen is certified as an instructor for Youth Mental Health First Aid, which is designed to teach adults how to help adolescents (age 12-18) who are experiencing mental health challenges or crises. Through this program, Jalen has assisted in training adults across the state of South Carolina. Jalen is a member of NASW, as well as a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Jalen has always been passionate about helping others and decided that social work was a perfect combination of her love for people, her ability to be empathetic and compassionate, as well as her ability to advocate for others. For Jalen, becoming a social worker reflects how she lives her daily life. She possesses strong interpersonal skills, like the ability to listen and communicate in a nonjudgmental way with people from different backgrounds. Jalen believes that these qualities, along with other traits, will allow her to best serve clients when interacting in the field.
Jalen’s career goal is to excel in the field of social work, working alongside children and youth. After graduating from Winthrop’s MSW program, she hopes to obtain her LMSW, to contribute to improving the lives of the young people in rural South Carolina. Jalen was raised in a small, rural town in the low country, where there were few resources available for mental health services. Youth with mental health challenges often went undiagnosed, which she could see affected the dynamics in the classroom and at home. Jalen plans to successfully advocate for services to help these vulnerable, rural youth. She hopes these efforts will, in turn, build young people’s confidence and build stronger communities in the process.
Gordon Culley, Minnesota State University Mankato
With a rich background in the field of human services, Gordon has dedicated himself to making a positive impact on the lives of others. Having worked as a direct support professional, he gained valuable experience in providing care and support to individuals with diverse needs.
Transitioning into the role of a mental health and substance use counselor further honed Gordon’s skills in understanding and addressing complex challenges facing those in need. Looking to the future, his aspirations are centered around conducting individual and group therapy with individuals from diverse backgrounds, with a specific focus on trauma.
Gordon’s aim is to create a safe and inclusive space for healing and growth, utilizing his social work expertise to empower individuals to overcome obstacles and trauma in their past and to embrace a brighter, more resilient future.