The Verne LaMarr Lyons Memorial Scholarships are awarded to master’s degree candidates in social work who demonstrate an interest in or have experience with health/mental health practice and have a commitment to working in African American communities. The 2024-2025 recipients are:
Fatoumata Magassa, Columbia University
Fatoumata Magassa (She/Her) is a first year MSW student intending to become a forensic social worker. Fatoumata is a Harlem, NYC native who has a passion for social change and empowering the lives of justice-involved and low-income families. Fatoumata graduated from the University of Chicago in 2021 with a BA in Public Policy Studies and a specialization in criminal justice and critical race theory. Currently, Fatoumata is an advisor for the Action Lab for Social Justice at Columbia, a volunteer for Afrikana and CASA-NYC, and a committee member for Community Board 10. Fatoumata has worked and/or interned at the following organizations: The Bronx Defenders, Youth Sentencing and Reentry Project, Lawyers Without Borders, Illinois Coalition for Higher Education in Prison, Harlem Youth Court, Business & Professional People for the Public Interest (BPI Chicago), the Manhattan Borough President's Office, Dratel & Lewis, and Chicago HOPES for Kids.
During college, she served as co-president and content manager for the Bridge Writing Workshop Program, which helped participants at Cook County Jail unpack their traumatic experiences and share their narratives through different creative writing mediums.
Kim McDaniel, University of the Pacific
Kim McDaniel is a first-generation college graduate. Social work is a career change for her after many years serving in various administrative and program roles in education and child and youth-serving government agencies. Born and raised in Oakland, CA., Kim’s experiences as an adolescent drive her commitment to provide services for youth of color, specifically African American girls and LGBTQIA+ youth residing in urban areas. Having firsthand experiences with how social determinants of health and well-being impact lives in her community, she plans to use her MSW degree to uplift and empower others. She earned a BA degree in Psychology from the University of California at Berkeley and holds a PhD from the University of Southern California.
Kim’s strong commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is a consistent theme throughout her work. She has conducted research on the overrepresentation of African American students in special education programs and led a women’s empowerment retreat to provide self-care and empowerment to motivate underserved women attending community college. After graduation Kim plans to engage, empower, and provide direct services to underserved communities working with African American adolescents as well as gender non-conforming youth through school-based services and collaboration with non-traditional partners and community-based organizations. Kim also plans to become a social work professor where in addition to teaching, she will mentor students, and conduct relevant research to help improve the lives of vulnerable populations.
Kendall L. Straughter, University of Chicago
Kendall L. Straughter is a school administrator at The University of Chicago’s Laboratory School. He has held various leadership roles in Chicago Public Schools (CPS), including transition specialist in the Office of Incubation and Innovation, managing 106 charter schools with 60,000 students to promote equitable transitions and reduce students being unfairly dismissed from schools.
At 25, Kendall became the youngest Dean of Students in Chicago Public Schools while serving at Kenwood Academy High School. Other CPS roles included director of culture and climate, network attendance administrator, male mentor, and SEL consultant.
From 2015 to 2020, Kendall founded and operated Gifted and Talented Seven Inc. (GT7), raising more than $750,000 to mentor students in Chicago. As executive director, Kendall hosted a male summer enrichment program for boys of color. He organized and funded a trip to Ghana for the 400th Anniversary of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade for college students.
In Houston, Texas, Kendall was an Assistant Principal and Creative Director of The Black Butterfly, LLC. He established The Black Butterfly Scholarship for Mickey Leland College Prep Academy, raising $15,000 for first-generation college students.
Kendall is pursuing a MSW in Administration at The University of Chicago’s Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. He is also the principal consultant at the Straughter Firm, LLC, an all-black-male mental health consulting firm.
Inspired by his experiences as a black boy from underserved communities, Kendall lives by the philosophy: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?”
Christiana Tyler, California State University, San Bernardino
Christiana Tyler is an online MSW student in the Pathways Distance Program at California State University, San Bernardino. In 2019, Christiana received her BA in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice from California State University, East Bay. While she was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, California, Ms. Tyler has spent the last nine years living in the San Francisco Bay Area. She currently works for a nonprofit organization based in Oakland that provides mental health services to youth and their families. Christiana’s personal mission is to advocate for historically disadvantaged communities and carry out social justice through a career in social work centered around criminal justice reform and providing community-based support services. Ms. Tyler desires to work with people with lived experience in the criminal justice system, individuals struggling with substance use disorder, and senior citizens, particularly within Black and Indigenous communities. Over the years, from high school through graduate school, Christiana has performed community service in support of disadvantaged communities. More recently, in May of 2024, she volunteered in support of the Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.
Christiana is a first-generation college student who believes in liberation and the power of education. She is a lifelong member of Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology and a member of the Bay Area Association of Black Social Workers, in addition to her membership with NASW.