DiIulio returns for Social Work graduation

Graduation may be a time of celebration for many students, but for graduates of the School of Social Work, it is also a time to reflect on the difficult road ahead. And several student speakers -- along with one very notable Penn professor -- did just that Monday afternoon at the University Museum. John DiIulio,director of the controversial White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, offered his congratulations to the graduates for choosing the path of social work. "[Social work] is a noble profession. You will have a lifetime of putting your ideas and your ideals into your profession and into civic service," DiIulio said. "[Social work] is a distinctive moral commitment that refuses to treat any individual as disposable," he added. DiIulio, as an assistant to the President of the United States, is on leave as both a professor of political science and the Frederic Fox Leadership professor of politics, religion and civil society. He noted that social workers are becoming increasingly important in the social climate of the United States. "You're taking on the role of refereeing a crucial national discourse about the future of anti-poverty legislation," DiIulio said. "Social work has kept Americans mindful that the poor are still very much with us," he said. Student speakers described their work in almost religious terms, focusing on how they were called to the profession of social work, despite little in the way of monetary rewards or recognition. Graduate student Danielle Hill summed up her call to the field of social work in one of the ceremony's student addresses. "I didn't choose social work, social work chose me," she said. "Social work is not just a profession, but a way of life." Lori Horowitz, another masters candidate, spoke of the social worker's mission in more artistic terms, citing a famous performance by renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman. Perlman -- who suffered from polio as a child and subsequently must walk with crutches and is required to perform seated -- once performed an entire symphonic piece with only three of the usual four violin strings, after one of the strings broke moments into the performance. Horowitz, in turn, used the story to illustrate the need for resourcefulness as a social worker. "We also have the obligation to use the strings we have left. We must use our creativity and dedication... to create our music," Horowitz said. She, like others, noted the hardships ahead. "We did not pick an easy profession," she said. "But we must hold on to the passion that brought us [to the School of Social Work] in the first place." Two students also received awards at the ceremony. Christina Boyko received the Rosa Wessel Award for academic performance, and Robert Fairbanks received the Hal Levin Award, which is given to a meritorious doctoral student who is still in the process of completing coursework.

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