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Rep. Graig Meyer to speak at 97th annual Graduation Ceremony

The UNC School of Social Work will host its 97th annual hooding ceremony to celebrate the graduation of 129 MSW students and two Ph.D. students on Saturday, May 12, 2018, at Memorial Hall on UNC’s campus.

State Rep. Graig Meyer, who represents House District 50 in Orange and Durham counties, has been selected to deliver this year’s commencement address. Meyer, who was elected in 2013, is one of only two trained social workers currently serving in the General Assembly.

Throughout his career, Meyer has focused his efforts on protecting individuals and families who are marginalized, vulnerable and oppressed. As a lawmaker, he has successfully passed legislation to help families save money to care for their children with disabilities through adulthood; to help parents protect their children from online predators; to make it easier for families to set up guardianships for aging adults; and to help individuals and families by reducing the cost of home mortgage processing.

Before entering politics, Meyer served for 16 years in North Carolina public schools as coordinator of the Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate Program, a Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) support program designed to improve the achievement of students of color; he also served for two years as the director of student equity for CHCCS.

In addition to celebrating our graduates this weekend, the School of Social Work will honor five alumni with the 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award. The awards recognize alumni who have achieved distinction in the social work field, who embody social work values and who carry our mission of service into the world. Alumni can be nominated by peers, faculty members, fellow alumni or students and are chosen by a committee.

This year’s recipients are: Veronica Creech, MSW ‘98; Constance Fraser Gray, MSW ‘91; Mark A. Oliver, MSW ‘98; Anna Marie Scheyett, MSW ‘89; and Jovetta L. Whitfield, MSW ’95.